ABS light stays ON! Reason?

lambuhere1 · 24th August 2009, 09:02

Hi

Today morning, when I was driving my car, I noticed that the ABS light is continuously ON in my swift [ vxi ABS ]. I was wondering what could be the reason for the same ? Can I drive it with the light still ON ? Does it lead to any penalty ?

Vehicle was fine till Saturday. But today, I am a bit worried to drive it, to tell you frankly.

Any thoughts or ideas are highly appreciated.

Thanks

ajmat · 24th August 2009, 09:22

Anything from a loose connection to a defective control unit. You can drive but the ABS will not work. Get the car to a dealer ASAP

lambuhere1 · 24th August 2009, 09:40

My car is under extended warrenty. If situation comes worse to it, Can a control unit be replaced under warrenty ?

DieselFan · 24th August 2009, 11:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by lambuhere1

My car is under extended warrenty. If situation comes worse to it, Can a control unit be replaced under warrenty ?

While the brake pads and the brake discs are not covered under warranty as they are treated consumables, electronics are covered under warranty. Yes it will be replaced free of charge including labour. So go to your MASS and get this attended to.

Firebird · 24th August 2009, 12:31

lambuhere1, I have faced this situation, only Cra is different.

Mine is UVA with ABS and AB.

One fine Sunday morning, it just came up while driving and then I had to switch off, switched on, the light went off. During driving, when I faced a hard braking situation, it again came on.

Took it to the service center.

My guess were

1. Faulty ABS Relay
2. Dust on ABS Sensors
3. Faulty Sensor (Weak or dead)

The car was hooked to the computer, they found the error code, they said there was dust on the sensor. They cleaned it. They removed the error code, took it for a spin. It worked well.

They mentioned that they were suspecting weak sensor, so if I get the light on again, they would simply go ahead and replace the sensor.

ABS did work good for couple of days, on the third day the light came on again. I called them up, they said they will replace.

After replacing at 15200 KM, I am now on 17700 km, till now no issues.

I hope this has provided you some good info.

The brakes work fine though the light comes on. Only ABS doesn't kick in.

lambuhere1 · 24th August 2009, 13:36

@ All

Thanks a ton for all your replies. Will take a look at MASS this week and will keep you posted

manjubp · 24th August 2009, 21:30

My experience with ABS malfunction light in my Swift

1. If it is just after service, then check the connector (Inside the Dash, on right top where ABS module is present. They wouldn't have fixed it properly after changing the brake fluid.

2. Check the connectors below the carpet, specifically near the foot rest of the rear seat. Multiple times, I have seen these connectors came loose, after a fix it worked well.

Regards,
-manju

lambuhere1 · 7th September 2009, 10:13

Update from MASS :

It appears that the rats have wrenched the wiring of the ABS sensor near the front right wheel of my swift. It appears that they cannot just replace the wiring, but need to get the whole assembly with sensors. Costs around INR 3000/-

Does anyone have any idea about the costing part please ?

Added to that, I am planning to take it to SURAKSHA lokesh [ heard a lot about him ] . Can anyone give me the driving directions from MG Road please ?

Thanks a ton

EagleEye · 26th September 2011, 15:21

Hi all,

While my initial ownership report is in the assembly line, I wanted to ask you about the pressing issue that I'm faxing with my 2 week old Figo Diesel titanium.

Last Friday (23rd Sep) I drove the car to the office and left it in a covered parking. In the evening while I was driving the car back, the ABS malfunction indicator light came on in the dash.
I immediately stopped the car and consulted the manual. It said that if the light comes on, the brakes were functioning as normal but without ABS: get it checked as soon as possible. I made a call to the service center and I got an appointment for Sunday. As I had made sure that the brakes were working fine, I resumed my journey.

At this point I will mention about a kat-kat-kat sound which had been coming from presumably the back tires while braking heavily, even at slow speeds. This was present from the very first day itself. I did not think much of it then, as it wasn't very loud or annoying and I felt it to be normal.

Sunday saw me taking the car to SC Ford service center in Goregaon West. Other members who have had experience with this service center, please advise me whether I am dealing with people who know their work.

Although I reached on time at 11am for the appointment, I was made to wait 40 minutes before being attended to. A preliminary inspection was conducted when the service person told me that several such cases had come to them in the past which were caused by rats nibbling the wires near the ABS sensors. However, a quick look showed that wires were intact, except if the cut was too small to be detected by the naked eye. He told me that since it was Sunday the experts weren't there and that I would have to leave the car in the service center so that it could be looked at on Monday.

I was also told that the noise while braking was a separate issue not relates to the ABS which could be resolved by cleaning or replacing the brake pads.

Although I was hesitant to leave the car overnight, I didn't have a choice because I needed the problem to be resolved asap and my schedule of leaving for office early in the morning eliminated any possibility of dropping the car off on Monday morning.

With a heavy heart I left the car and came back home. On Monday (today) I gave a call to the service person who had attended to me and asked him for the status update. To my surprise he said that he had connected the laptop and done a complete diagnostics test without finding the problem. Also he couldn't find if any wires were cut.
He assured me that work was going on, and that sooner or later the problem would be found.

Now, it is an understatement to say that I am anxious. The car is not even a month old and it has already developed a problem which the experts cannot even diagnose!

I have kept my fingers crossed that the problem is resolved immediately and that it is resolved once and for all. I would request you all who no doubt have more experience in these matters to guide me please. Am I dealing with the right people? Do they know their job? Are they experimenting with my vehicle?
What could be the problem?

bejoy · 26th September 2011, 20:40

This is a second instance that I am reading about Figo ABS issue. First one I read on another forum where I am a member. (link)(Wrong forum to post, anyway)

This looks like a malfunction and has nothing to do with rats. I doubt the service center guys be capable of diagnosing the issue. I suggest escalating the issue to Ford if they are not able to fix the issue quickly. Leaving the car at the garage for long is not a good idea.

luky_13 · 26th September 2011, 21:07

Could happen if the ABS Sensor on either wheel has malfunctioned, or the cable connecting to the ABS sensor is loose. Either way it will not effect under normal driving conditions. Have it checked at the dealership at the earliest opportunity.

EagleEye · 26th September 2011, 22:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by bejoy

This is a second instance that I am reading about Figo ABS issue. First one I read on another forum where I am a member. (link)(Wrong forum to post, anyway)

This looks like a malfunction and has nothing to do with rats. I doubt the service center guys be capable of diagnosing the issue. I suggest escalating the issue to Ford if they are not able to fix the issue quickly. Leaving the car at the garage for long is not a good idea.

Thank you for the info, but your link has officially scared me to death. An un-resolvable problem is the last thing a new car needs.

I'll provide an update on the situation:

Although I called the service advisor 2-3 times during the day, he did not give me a clear status update, he had not yet found the cause of the problem and he did not give me any time estimate for the diagnosis. What's more, he didn't even tell me what my next option was! : whether I was to take the car home or leave it there for God knows how long. The car had been in the service center overnight and I was very anxious to see it. I decided to drop in for a visit.

After office I traveled all the way in Mumbai locals and then autorickshaw to the Ford SS. When I reached there at 6.30 pm I found that my service advisor had gone home early...!! He didn't even let me know that he was leaving and what would be done with the car. This is very unprofessional of SC Ford - never expected this from them.

I told the receptionist that I wanted to talk to the person who had worked on my car, and without talking to him I wasn't leaving. She took some but told me that I could see the Asst. Service Manager who supervised all the shop floor work.

This person turned out to be a nice guy who politely explained that as I had brought the car in on Monday they didn't start diagnosing it properly till today (Monday) morning because staff hadn't been available.

I asked him about the work done on the car. He said that first he had inspected for wiring problems by doing a connectivity test. The test had revealed no problems in the wires. Next he had examined the ABS sensors on each of the wheels which were also found to be working fine. The last thing remaining for them to do was to test the ABS control module. He told me that in his opinion the module was the culprit. He would test the ABS after installing a demo module, and check if it was working fine. If yes, the part would be replaced. The process could not be done today as the part was not available with him.

He gave me a promise that by tomorrow (Tuesday 27/9/11) by 12 noon he would definitely give me a definite answer to the problem. I was once again forced to leave the car overnight at the service center because I can't take the car in in the morning before work.

I have decided that if the service guys don't tell me the exact problem by tomorrow and give me a time estimate to fix it, I will visit the Ford SS and speak to the Customer Service Manager there, and simultaneously escalate the issue to Ford providing a link to this thread. And I'm definitely bringing my car home tomorrow.

Hoping tomorrow brings the end of my ABS woes...

ghodlur · 27th September 2011, 08:29

@eagleeye,

Thats bad esp when happening on a new car. I hope the issue gets resolved at the earliest and you will be able to enjoy your ride soon.

What happened to the other issue which you pointed out - the kad kad sound from the rear? Did they check that or they were busy with the ABS issue. Do update us on the same too. I used to get a similar sound in my Fiesta for which both the rear suspensions were replaced.

EagleEye · 27th September 2011, 08:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by ghodlur

@eagleeye,

Thats bad esp when happening on a new car. I hope the issue gets resolved at the earliest and you will be able to enjoy your ride soon.

What happened to the other issue which you pointed out - the kad kad sound from the rear? Did they check that or they were busy with the ABS issue. Do update us on the same too. I used to get a similar sound in my Fiesta for which both the rear suspensions were replaced.

Thanks ghodlur, yes I am just waiting with bated breath for the call from the service center saying the problem has been resolved. Am planning a drive to baroda this weekend if all goes well.

Regarding the kat kat sound the asst service manager yesterday told me that he had cleaned the brake pads thereby resolving that issue. I will test it once the ABS issue has been resolved.

I am all prepared to write a detailed letter to Ford if things don't start looking up by lunchtime today.

EagleEye · 27th September 2011, 21:24

There's no option to edit my post so I'm adding an update in a new one.

UPDATE:

Pleasant surprise!! When I spoke to the Asst. Service Manager around lunchtime I was told that the problem had been identified as the ABS sensor of the front left wheel having an internal circuit failure.
How it escaped being detected in the first inspection I don't know.

Anyway, they said the part just arrived today as part of a different consignment so they could fix it right away. Needless to say, I was super happy. I went to the workshop around 7pm, and the car had already been fixed!

Apart from a scratch they had made on the body (I got it in writing from the front office manager that they would take care of it), a really terrible cleaning job, and the fact that both the ASM, my SA, and his backup were not available in the service center, it was all fine. (I know that's too many commas in a sentence

)

ABS problem fixed! Hope it doesn't return ever... hope no problems occur with my beloved new car!

24th August 2009, 09:02	#1
lambuhere1 BHPian Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: @ Driver's Seat @ Posts: 708 Thanked: 106 Times	ABS light stays ON! Reason? Hi Today morning, when I was driving my car, I noticed that the ABS light is continuously ON in my swift [ vxi ABS ]. I was wondering what could be the reason for the same ? Can I drive it with the light still ON ? Does it lead to any penalty ? Vehicle was fine till Saturday. But today, I am a bit worried to drive it, to tell you frankly. Any thoughts or ideas are highly appreciated. Thanks
	() Thanks

24th August 2009, 09:22	#2
ajmat Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 14,866 Thanked: 27,981 Times View My Garage	Anything from a loose connection to a defective control unit. You can drive but the ABS will not work. Get the car to a dealer ASAP Last edited by ajmat : 8th April 2019 at 13:30.
	() Thanks

24th August 2009, 09:40	#3
lambuhere1 BHPian Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: @ Driver's Seat @ Posts: 708 Thanked: 106 Times	My car is under extended warrenty. If situation comes worse to it, Can a control unit be replaced under warrenty ?
	() Thanks

24th August 2009, 12:31	#5
Firebird BHPian Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Mumbai / EC1M 3NH Posts: 470 Thanked: 65 Times View My Garage	Faulty sensor or Dust lambuhere1, I have faced this situation, only Cra is different. Mine is UVA with ABS and AB. One fine Sunday morning, it just came up while driving and then I had to switch off, switched on, the light went off. During driving, when I faced a hard braking situation, it again came on. Took it to the service center. My guess were 1. Faulty ABS Relay 2. Dust on ABS Sensors 3. Faulty Sensor (Weak or dead) The car was hooked to the computer, they found the error code, they said there was dust on the sensor. They cleaned it. They removed the error code, took it for a spin. It worked well. They mentioned that they were suspecting weak sensor, so if I get the light on again, they would simply go ahead and replace the sensor. ABS did work good for couple of days, on the third day the light came on again. I called them up, they said they will replace. After replacing at 15200 KM, I am now on 17700 km, till now no issues. I hope this has provided you some good info. The brakes work fine though the light comes on. Only ABS doesn't kick in. Last edited by Firebird : 24th August 2009 at 12:33. Reason: spelling
	() Thanks

24th August 2009, 13:36	#6
lambuhere1 BHPian Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: @ Driver's Seat @ Posts: 708 Thanked: 106 Times	@ All Thanks a ton for all your replies. Will take a look at MASS this week and will keep you posted
	() Thanks

24th August 2009, 21:30	#7
manjubp BHPian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 646 Thanked: 569 Times	My experience with ABS malfunction light in my Swift 1. If it is just after service, then check the connector (Inside the Dash, on right top where ABS module is present. They wouldn't have fixed it properly after changing the brake fluid. 2. Check the connectors below the carpet, specifically near the foot rest of the rear seat. Multiple times, I have seen these connectors came loose, after a fix it worked well. Regards, -manju Last edited by manjubp : 24th August 2009 at 21:31. Reason: Removed formatting
	() Thanks

7th September 2009, 10:13	#8
lambuhere1 BHPian Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: @ Driver's Seat @ Posts: 708 Thanked: 106 Times	Update from MASS : It appears that the rats have wrenched the wiring of the ABS sensor near the front right wheel of my swift. It appears that they cannot just replace the wiring, but need to get the whole assembly with sensors. Costs around INR 3000/- Does anyone have any idea about the costing part please ? Added to that, I am planning to take it to SURAKSHA lokesh [ heard a lot about him ] . Can anyone give me the driving directions from MG Road please ? Thanks a ton
	() Thanks

26th September 2011, 15:21	#9
EagleEye BHPian Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Muscat Posts: 378 Thanked: 280 Times	2 Week old Figo 1.4 Titanium - ABS light stays ON Hi all, While my initial ownership report is in the assembly line, I wanted to ask you about the pressing issue that I'm faxing with my 2 week old Figo Diesel titanium. Last Friday (23rd Sep) I drove the car to the office and left it in a covered parking. In the evening while I was driving the car back, the ABS malfunction indicator light came on in the dash. I immediately stopped the car and consulted the manual. It said that if the light comes on, the brakes were functioning as normal but without ABS: get it checked as soon as possible. I made a call to the service center and I got an appointment for Sunday. As I had made sure that the brakes were working fine, I resumed my journey. At this point I will mention about a kat-kat-kat sound which had been coming from presumably the back tires while braking heavily, even at slow speeds. This was present from the very first day itself. I did not think much of it then, as it wasn't very loud or annoying and I felt it to be normal. Sunday saw me taking the car to SC Ford service center in Goregaon West. Other members who have had experience with this service center, please advise me whether I am dealing with people who know their work. Although I reached on time at 11am for the appointment, I was made to wait 40 minutes before being attended to. A preliminary inspection was conducted when the service person told me that several such cases had come to them in the past which were caused by rats nibbling the wires near the ABS sensors. However, a quick look showed that wires were intact, except if the cut was too small to be detected by the naked eye. He told me that since it was Sunday the experts weren't there and that I would have to leave the car in the service center so that it could be looked at on Monday. I was also told that the noise while braking was a separate issue not relates to the ABS which could be resolved by cleaning or replacing the brake pads. Although I was hesitant to leave the car overnight, I didn't have a choice because I needed the problem to be resolved asap and my schedule of leaving for office early in the morning eliminated any possibility of dropping the car off on Monday morning. With a heavy heart I left the car and came back home. On Monday (today) I gave a call to the service person who had attended to me and asked him for the status update. To my surprise he said that he had connected the laptop and done a complete diagnostics test without finding the problem. Also he couldn't find if any wires were cut. He assured me that work was going on, and that sooner or later the problem would be found. Now, it is an understatement to say that I am anxious. The car is not even a month old and it has already developed a problem which the experts cannot even diagnose! I have kept my fingers crossed that the problem is resolved immediately and that it is resolved once and for all. I would request you all who no doubt have more experience in these matters to guide me please. Am I dealing with the right people? Do they know their job? Are they experimenting with my vehicle? What could be the problem?
	() Thanks

26th September 2011, 20:40	#10
bejoy BHPian Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 924 Thanked: 1,405 Times View My Garage	Re: 2 Week old Figo 1.4 Titanium - ABS light stays ON This is a second instance that I am reading about Figo ABS issue. First one I read on another forum where I am a member. (link)(Wrong forum to post, anyway) This looks like a malfunction and has nothing to do with rats. I doubt the service center guys be capable of diagnosing the issue. I suggest escalating the issue to Ford if they are not able to fix the issue quickly. Leaving the car at the garage for long is not a good idea.
	() Thanks

26th September 2011, 21:07	#11
luky_13 BHPian Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 580 Thanked: 156 Times View My Garage	Re: 2 Week old Figo 1.4 Titanium - ABS light stays ON Could happen if the ABS Sensor on either wheel has malfunctioned, or the cable connecting to the ABS sensor is loose. Either way it will not effect under normal driving conditions. Have it checked at the dealership at the earliest opportunity.
	() Thanks

27th September 2011, 08:29	#13
ghodlur Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Thane Posts: 6,010 Thanked: 4,200 Times View My Garage	Re: 2 Week old Figo 1.4 Titanium - ABS light stays ON @eagleeye, Thats bad esp when happening on a new car. I hope the issue gets resolved at the earliest and you will be able to enjoy your ride soon. What happened to the other issue which you pointed out - the kad kad sound from the rear? Did they check that or they were busy with the ABS issue. Do update us on the same too. I used to get a similar sound in my Fiesta for which both the rear suspensions were replaced.
	() Thanks

27th September 2011, 21:24	#15
EagleEye BHPian Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Muscat Posts: 378 Thanked: 280 Times	Re: ABS light stays ON! Reason? There's no option to edit my post so I'm adding an update in a new one. UPDATE: Pleasant surprise!! When I spoke to the Asst. Service Manager around lunchtime I was told that the problem had been identified as the ABS sensor of the front left wheel having an internal circuit failure. How it escaped being detected in the first inspection I don't know. Anyway, they said the part just arrived today as part of a different consignment so they could fix it right away. Needless to say, I was super happy. I went to the workshop around 7pm, and the car had already been fixed! Apart from a scratch they had made on the body (I got it in writing from the front office manager that they would take care of it), a really terrible cleaning job, and the fact that both the ASM, my SA, and his backup were not available in the service center, it was all fine. (I know that's too many commas in a sentence ) ABS problem fixed! Hope it doesn't return ever... hope no problems occur with my beloved new car!
	(1) Thanks