ABS/ESC False Activation Diagnostics
False activation incidents involve the ABS modulator taking over braking or intervening to restore vehicle stability.
Ride Control And Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
There is a direct connection between the condition of the ride control and electronic stability control. Shocks, struts and springs control patches of the tires and how weight transfers 100 percent of the time. The stability control system measures these vehicle dynamics and defines them as yaw, lateral acceleration and wheel speed. During panic situations when the driver’s inputs do not match the dynamics of the vehicle, the ABS and stability control system kicks in. If the suspension components can’t control the tire’s contact patch, the stability control will have to intervene.
Thinking Through False ABS/ESC Activation Events
Electronic stability control (ESC) became a mandated safety feature for the 2012 model year. Along with all of these advancements, false activation complaints have surfaced. Solving them has been a diagnostic conundrum through the years. False activation incidents involve the ABS modulator taking over braking or intervening to restore vehicle stability. The customer may feel feedback in the brake pedal like a pulsation or sudden drop. Some may also experience a drop in power or the vehicle may suddenly pull in one direction.
VIDEO: Rear Brake Pads On Vehicles With Stability Control
Andrew Markel explains why special attention needs paid to brake pads on vehicles with stability control, including oversteer and understeer corrections and differential replacement. Sponsored by Auto Value and Bumper to Bumper.
False ABS, ESC Activation Causes And Cures
The first mass-produced anti-lock braking systems (ABS) were introduced in 1985. By 2008, almost every passenger vehicle came standard with ABS. Next, electronic stability control (ESC) became a mandated safety feature for the 2012 model year. Along with all these advancements have come false activation complaints. Solving these has been a diagnostic conundrum through the years.
How New Technologies Impact ABS Systems and Chassis Service
I’m sure you have all been to an ABS systems class where you’ve heard that the base brake system must be operating as designed in order for ABS systems to work properly. This is true, but many still perform brake service in the same way they always have.
Shocks and Struts: A Crucial Part of the Electronic Equation
When a vehicle’s ABS or stability control is really needed, how well it works is directly related to the tire’s contact patch. If the tire does not have traction, any type of electronic intervention or driving skill will not bring the car back under control. During a panic stop, weight transfers to the front tires,
