Q: I was sitting in the drive thru when all of a sudden my ABS Light came on. It was flashing. I put my car in park and took it off

asked by on November 18, 2016

I was in the drive thru when my ABS ligjt started flashing. I was parked waiting to pay for my meal. What could that mean for my ABS light to come on while I am parked? I ended up putting my car in park then I took it out of park and the light turned on. This is the first time this has happened. This has never happened before. Please Help

My car has 89787 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.

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The ABS light can come on for a number of reasons, most likely having nothing to do with the vehicle being in park or drive. The ABS system relies on a number of sensors including wheel speed sensors, vehicle speed sensors, and the brake light switch for input. When the ABS control module senses wheel lock up using input from these sensors, it can actuate the ABS pump to pump the brakes up to 15 times per second. Most ABS systems use the brake light switch as the first input, telling the control module that you have your foot is on the brake pedal, so it’s time to monitor wheel speed, vehicle speed, etc. So even if the vehicle is in park, if the brake pedal is depressed, the ABS system is ready for action.

Most likely, the ABS light came on because the system has detected a faulty input from any of the sensors is uses or even the ABS pump itself. In all likelihood, the system would have detected a fault at that moment whether you were moving or parked. Have a certified technician check the ABS system for faults as soon as possible. With a fault stored in the ABS system, the anti-lock function may not work as intended, especially on slippery surfaces.

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