1998 Dodge Dakota ABS light

Maintenance/Repairs
1

1998 Dodge Dakota 3.9L V6,auto, 2WD,Extcab

ABS and brake light come on at 40mph. Also cruise control does not work when this happens. This does not happen all the time. Any ideas what’s wrong?

2

The brake light is killing the cruise. There should be some kind of error codes related to the lights. Sorry I don’t know what flavor of codes might be native to a '98 Dodge. It does mean you likely don’t have functioning ABS. It could be simple and cheap, or expensive and complex. We need the codes. Maybe someone who really knows this Dodge might know more.

3

I would look for a problem in the primary brake system that would cause the brake warning light to come on. Because when the brake warning light comes on, the ABS light automatically comes on. This is because the ABS will not function if there’s a problem with the primary brake system. So the ABS computer turns the ABS light on. However, if there’s a problem with the ABS system that causes the ABS light to come on, it will not cause the brake warning light to come on. Also, if the brake warning light comes on the cruise control will not function. Just as it won’t function if there’s a rear brake light out.

So look for a problem in the primary brake system.

Tester

4

First, ensure that there is sufficient brake fluid in the master cylinder reservoir. Does the brake pedal fell normal and do the brakes still work the same as usual? You need to find out why the regular brake light is coming on. Once that is fixed, if the ABS light still comes on, consider the following:

The standard ABS system is for the rear wheels only. The speed sensor is mounted in the rear differential housing. Trucks with 4 wheel ABS also have speed sensors at the front wheels. Since your cruise control is also out, I think the problem is most likely with the rear speed sensor. This is a fairly common point of failure. About all you can do without the proper diagnostic scanner (a standard OBD 2 scanner won’t retrieve ABS error codes) is to carefully check the wiring and connection. You could replace the sensor, but that’s a gamble.

5

Thanks for the info. Is there any reason this occurs only at 40mph or faster?

6

Thanks for the info. Is there a reason this occurs only at 40mph or faster?