Q: ABS light on and pic of a car swerving light on

asked by on October 15, 2016

for the last couple of weeks, the brakes are making a scrubbing noise off and on when i apply the brakes. And there is a pic of a car sweving light that is staying on and the ABS light is coming on otf and on. usually this happens anytime i apply the brake. it is scaring me and worried to drive the car. it is old and has been paid off for years and wondering if i just need to buy a new one or if the car is even worth fixing.

My car has 140000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.

Traction Control Light is on Inspection $94.99 - $114.99 Get a Quote

Your car is definitely worth fixing as this is somewhat common and something that any qualified mechanic should be able to correct. The grinding sound you hear is likely worn brake pads and rotors. When the brake pads reach a certain thickness and a substantial amount of the material has worn off of them, they will make this kind of sound. Your car is also equipped with wheel speed sensors at each of the four wheels which monitor wheel speed while relaying this information constantly to the ABS and traction control system which are controlled by the car’s ECU. When the ECU senses an abnormal speed given specific conditions, it engages the ABS or traction control as needed to control the vehicle properly and safely. Occasionally, these sensors can fail or become faulty working intermittently sending inaccurate signals to the ECU. When this happens, you may experience the symptoms you have described. The ABS or traction control system may be inadvertently activated by these false or inaccurate signals. I would suggest having a professional from YourMechanic come to your home to diagnose your ABS and traction control system to determine the cause for this.

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