Is it bad if the ABS light is on?

christineka

New member
It first came on back in September, but went off again and stayed off for weeks. Now it is on most of the time. The manual doesn't shed much light on that other than the fact that it is on to alert me. It is a 1997 ford aerostar. We're planning to buy a new to us van and sell this one in 3-4 months. Do we really need to fix this? The brakes are working.
 
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MOM25BOYS

New member
It could just simply be a fuse going bad or sensor, but I am no mechanic.:eek: I had the same thing to happen to my 2000 Impala. When I took it to a mechanic he simply told me it was just a bad fuse that I wasn't in real danger of my ABS failing.
 

beeman

Active member
It is likely a burnt fuse or busted sensor like MOM25BOYS said. The ABS system may or may not work in this situation. Check your fuses first, as this is an easy DIY fix. If you choose not to have it fixed be prepared for the ABS system to not work, and let the buyer know that the light is on. If you know someone with a code reader, you could get a scan, and that may pin point the problem :twocents: .
 

strollerfreak

Senior Community Member
Like a PP pointed out it may be a bad fuse. Check that first. If replacing the fuse doesn't work, take it to AutoZone/O'Reilly's/PepBoys/AdvancedAuto ...they have generic scanners that can tell you what code the computer is giving you FOR FREE.

I had a Chevy Montana that liked to get rocks stuck under the brake pads, or if snow got built up in the front wheel wells...and that would turn the ABS light on. :rolleyes:

It may be worth it to get it fixed...if you are planning on selling it, it will bring a MUCH better price if it's fixed...people don't like buying vehicles with apparent issues, and since it's a total buyers market it may be worth it depending on how much it'll cost to have it fixed.
 
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valleyfam

New member
Mine's been on at least 6 months (Windstar-same as your Aerostar just newer) I had a mechanic (not the Ford dealer) check the brakes and he told me they were fine so I've been ignoring it. I know I probably shouldn't.:eek:
 

christineka

New member
Thanks. I'm not too worried on the van's sellability. I don't think there's a great market for 12 year old minivans. Besides, the passenger door panel has fallen off and I'm not going to fix it. This van will be selling for cheap. I just want it to run until we get our new van.
 

southpawboston

New member
the light can be on for any one of a dozen reasons. but if it is on, your ABS WILL NOT WORK. the guy who told mom25boys it would work is WRONG.

but, just because your ABS will not work doesn't mean your brakes will not work. ABS is not really necessary anyway as long as you know how to use non-ABS brakes in a panic stop. crash statistics have failed to prove that ABS prevents accidents, surprisingly. :twocents:
 

strollerfreak

Senior Community Member
the light can be on for any one of a dozen reasons. but if it is on, your ABS WILL NOT WORK. the guy who told mom25boys it would work is WRONG.

but, just because your ABS will not work doesn't mean your brakes will not work. ABS is not really necessary anyway as long as you know how to use non-ABS brakes in a panic stop. crash statistics have failed to prove that ABS prevents accidents, surprisingly. :twocents:

SPB that's not completely true...just because the SES ABS light is currently on does not mean that the ABS is totally non-functional. If the computer has thrown a code it will stay lit on the dash until the issue is resolved...but that doesn't mean that the computer has totally disabled the ABS until the issue is fixed, it just means that at some point the issue did pop up and that you can not RELY on the ABS to work when you would expect it to.

I can drive around with a SES light lit forever and a day and have it turn out to be a sparkplug misfire code or whatever...doesn't mean that EVERY time the sparkplug fires that it misfires, just that it's misfired enough times in the course of a set amount of time that it triggers the computer to engage the SES light and leave it lit until either the code is cleared or the issue is resolved AND the code is cleared.

It could also be a wiring issue...Windstars/Aerostars were NOTORIOUS for having faulty wiring issues...the ABS may be perfectly fine and there might be a short in the wiring somewhere triggering the ABS light to have lit.

I wouldn't go so far as to say that the guy who told MOM25BOYS that the ABS *would* work is dead wrong...probably not the best thing to say in a sue-happy, liability concious world, but not dead wrong. :twocents:
 

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