ABS brakes - sensor? or tone wheel/ring? or loose wire?

Maintenance/Repairs
1

2007 Ford Focus - 70,000 miles

The ABS light went on two weeks after we had the brakes done at Ford. We have not yet had the chance to return there, and I am wondering if the recent brake job played a role in the ABS light issue… there is a youtube video claiming that debris from a brake job could dirty the “tone wheel/ring” and make it difficult for the ABS sensor to read the wheel. True or not?.. And is this something I have a chance of dealing with myself?.. I prefer to work on vintage cars that have no high tech add-ons… but for the time being, this is the car we have …

2

The Exciter/Tone ring popped loose on both of the CV axles on my wife’s 98 Windstar. It should be obvious with a visual inspection. Otherwise check and clean the electrical connectors at each wheel.

Ed B.

3

@Catskill

This is how I would approach it

Go to the dealer and explain that the ABS light came on 2 weeks after they did a brake job

Kindly ask them to look everything over again, at no cost to you

During their inspection, they should be able to tell rather quickly if they buggered it up

If that is the case, and they have any kind of integrity, they will fess up and make it right

Don’t go in there blaming them right from the start, because it’s entirely possible that they didn’t do anything wrong

4

+1 for the above post, with the addition that if the inspection shows no fault related to the previous brake job, then the customer is on the hook for the $50 (or whatever minimum charge is) plus whatever testing/diagnosis is required to determine the cause of the ABS warning light.