My ABS Light is On. What Does It Mean?

Feeling frustrated after seeing the ABS (or anti-lock braking system) light turned on while driving in a hurry to an important destination. Yes, it is annoying and time-consuming.

In some cases, it feels like you are losing control over your schedule. Isn’t it? Some drivers say:

“We feel like losing braking or traction control after seeing that little (but very disturbing) ABS light on.”

Even if you were not in a hurry while driving, you would still be confused and anxious, thinking what does ABS light being turned on actually mean? You might ask: is it even safe to drive my car with the ABS light on?

Just like these, there will be TONS of questions on your mind, like: what causes the ABS light to come on and go off? Overwhelmed with the whole situation, you might shout: HOW DO I FIX IT THEN?

But no need to worry. Because we, at Simple Car Buy, care about your feelings. And you SHOULD get the right answers at the right time. So, we’ll answer all of these questions and more. Stick with us till the end.

Before anything else, let’s reward you first with the knowledge of what the turned-on ABS light means.

What Does ABS Light Being On Mean?

If you see the ABS light activated, it means the safety system of your car is malfunctioning. But you would still feel like your brakes are working just fine.

Just to bore you first with one historical fact, ABS is a safety feature that was commonly manufactured for vehicles in the 1980s and later. It helps the drivers in not getting their wheels locked up while braking hard.

Thus, it prevents a car from skidding when brakes are applied on slippery roads. It means, the tires of your car will not lose grip or traction on the road surface.

Plus, this system provides shorter stopping distances. This means, after applying the brakes, your car will travel less before stopping completely. Other than that, you’ll be able to control your steering wheel EVEN better.

Now, let’s talk about what causes this IRRITATING safety issue in the first place.

Why Does ABS Light Come On?

If your ABS light is on, it could be due to several reasons. Because there are many parts of ABS. If any one of them stops working, you will see the light activated.

First of all, check if the ABS sensor on any of the wheels might have dirt or rust on it. Or it might have failed to function completely.
Secondly, check if there is any problem with a ring mounted below the wheel speed sensor.
- (Let’s explain a bit for your convenience: this ring has teeths. These teeths move and pass by the wheel sensor mounted above this ring. Thus, this movement is detected by the sensor.
- After sensing, it sends this information to a system.
- Then, this system determines the speed of the tire. If it is slow, meaning if the tire is about to lock up, it reduces pressure on the brake of that particular wheel.
  Why?
  Because this helps in the tire having more traction control on the road surface even when your ABS light is on. Plus it lets the tire move freely.)
Thirdly, sometimes, there is an issue with the wires that feed information to the detection system.
Fourthly, the connected computer could have some fault in it.

How to Fix ABS Light On?

The ideal situation for you is to get some mechanic help or use a scanning tool. Oh, the name of that tool is OBD II (or onboard diagnostics, second generation) scanner. But how would you feel if I tell you this:

There are some easy things that you can do on your own. In doing so, you would save the cost of buying an expensive tool or going for a costly repair. The thing is if you can find the problem, you can take steps to solve it.

First, you need to check if any one of your tires has extremely high or low pressure. Because it will make your wheel rotate at a speed different from the others. Which can confuse the system.
Next, check the brake fluid levels. If they are low, it is the problem.
However, if they are not low, check the blown fuse of ABS. You can google the kind of ABS fuse for your car. Or just find some YouTube videos for this purpose.

If nothing works, buy the scanner and try to diagnose the problem yourself. Or just go to an expert technician. If they can resolve the problem, well and good. But if the problem persists, it’s always a better idea to buy another car with a functioning ABS.

That’s for your long term peace of mind.

If you are facing financial troubles, we know you won’t be able to pay upfront to buy a car. In this case, we also provide services of financing a car. This means, you will pay small monthly payments, instead of one large payment upfront.

In case you are unsure and afraid of the paperwork related to buying a car, we handle that perfectly well. Because we have expert car brokers for all your car buying needs. If nothing makes sense, check out all of our car buying services by visiting our website: Simple Buy Car.

FAQs

How long can I drive with the ABS light on?

You can drive for as long as you want. Your brakes will work just fine unless your tires start skidding. Which happens on slippery surfaces, such as wet or snowy roads. However, you should not take this risk. In fact, go to a mechanic as soon as possible to get this issue fixed.

Is it safe to drive my car with the ABS light on?

It is safe to drive your car with ABS light illuminated. But you should be especially cautious when driving on slick surfaces. As this light indicates that your car has no way to help you if it starts skidding.

What causes the ABS light to come on and go off?

The ABS light can turn on and off itself because of minor issues, such as build-up of dirt on the wheel sensors. The other reason is the loose or bad electrical connectivity at the ABS unit.

Why does my ABS light turn on in my Toyota car every time I apply brakes?

If ABS light turns on the moment you apply brakes, increase the level of brake fluid. If that does not fix the problem, there is possibly a leak. Now, this is a serious issue. You should go to a technician immediately to get this fixed.

Why are my Toyota ABS and brake lights on at the same time?

In your Toyota models, if both ABS and brake lights are on at the same time, it means both your safety system and brake system are malfunctioning. In this specific condition, you should not drive. Instead, you should get these issues fixed as soon as possible by going to a service station.