ABS doesn't work. ( expert on saturn Ion sedan recommended )
my friend Yasenia has a problem with her saturn and we need some help. the ABS light doesn't come on when she
starts the car and her ABS doesn't even work. She thinks the car doesn't have ABS and i told her that she has to
slam on the brakes to get them to work. so we tried that when no one was around and still no ABS. is there a
possibility that the car is built without ABS or is it just a bucket of bolts? Yasenia and I need your help.
10 Answers
Seth-Tabitha answered 15 years ago
If you do not see an ABS light when starting the car, then the car probably does not have ABS. Contrary to what most people think, NOT ALL NEW CARS HAVE ABS. The easiest way to tell is to turn the front wheels all the way to one side. Look inside the wheel area and find the front brake caliper. There should be a rubber hose that takes the brake fluid to the caliper. IF THE CAR HAS ABS, there will also be an electrical wire that runs to a sensor near the brakes. If you do not see any additional wiring near the brake hose, then you have a non-ABS car. Seth (ASE Certified Master Auto Technician)
Is there an ABS control module under the hood? I can't remember where exactly, but I want to say on the ion it's just to the left of the windshield wiper fluid reservoir. It'll be a box with several brake lines sticking out of it. (I believe 4 sticking out of the top on the ion). If you don't have an ABS module, you don't have ABS... simple as that.
the next time I am with Yasenia, I will check for those things. Thank you so much for your help
The next time I am hanging out with Yasenia, I will check for those things. Thank you very much for the help
ION's didn't come standard with ABS. If she doesn't have an ABS light at startup then she probably doesn't have it. Without looking at the brakes, the only way to tell is if she has the traction control button that lights up above the radio on the right had side of the center console. If she has the traction control button she has ABS, but if its just a blank piece of black plastic, then she doesn't have ABS
well, I checked the ION and it does have an ABS light because I saw the plastic outline that said ABS on the dash but it just won't illuminate when we start the car.
All the IONs have the outline for the ABS light because the clusters are all the same amongst the models even if they don't have ABS. The traction control button is definitely the easiest way to tell. Odds are thought that if the ABS light doesn't light then she doesn't have it.
Mine also has an ABS light that doesn't come on and they don't work but it does have an ABS fuse, a control module and wheel sensors. It doesn't have a traction control button either. But I know for sure it does have ABS. How about some insight on why it may not be working. Any suggestions on where to start?
when I stop I hear a noise as I stop then air pressure going up and then it comes down in the while im still or have stop
To see if you have ABS, simply go to https://www.saturnforum.com/forum/vindecoder.php and enter your vin. On the Tech Specs Tab look at the Brake items and it will tell you if you have ABS. I do not believe the string that says the outline is on the dash, but the car may not have ABS. I would check the vin decoder for the definitive answer.
