i am considering a Nissan Frontier 4WD. It is 2000 model with 39,000 miles. The dealer that took it as a trade in (not a Nissan dealer) sayd that the ABS service light is on. Could this be serious? (meaning expensive) Is it a routine check due to the mileage? Asking price is $9800. it is automatic extend cab.
If the ABS light is on because of a faulty wheel speed sensor then it could be relatively inexpensive to fix. If however the ABS light is on because of a faulty ABS control module, then that can get pretty spendy to fix.
I wouldn’t purchase the vehicle unless the ABS was fixed.
Tester
I agree with Tester 100%. For example, when the ABS light came on in my 95 Dodge Dakota, I had to replace part of the wiring harness for ~$40. The troubleshooting was the hard part. When the light came on in my 98 Windstar, one of the wheel sensors had come loose on the CV axle. It was cheaper to replace the CV axle than to repair the old one, that job was ~$200 with labor. On the other hand, if the Windstar had a bad Computer/Control module, the repair would have been ~$1000.
Ed B.
The presence of the ABS light indicates a problem that could be very expensive to fix. Your dealer probably checked this out already. If it could be fixed cheaply he would have done so in order to expedite the sale. My guess is that he knows it requires an expensive repair, so he is smartly playing dumb. (Huh?!) Ask him if he would fix the ABS problem for a buyer. If he declines, walk away.
Walk away from this vehicle.