ABS has a place at higher speeds IMO…Sometimes, I have little use for it.
As I’ve mentioned before, they do decrease stopping distance in wet snow and some other special conditions for example as rolling traction is better than sliding when a water layer builds up on a locked wheel in snow. It’s not all or nothing…give me a switch.
Refer to google "“ABS Frequently Asked Questions”
No one knows why its presence doesn’t seem to reduce accidents or make them less serious.
Yes we do. People with ABS are like people with 4WD – they think it will protect them from harm, make them invulnerable to road conditions, let them stop on a dime, and let them drive like idiots.
Yes, don’t buy your O-rings from Morton Thiokol! The indirect cause of the disaster was the political decison to spread the work around the country, necessitating two sections requiring O-rings. Good design without political interference would have done away with the need for the O-rings in that area.
Agree; ABS, Traction Control and AWD are not substitutes for brains and paying attention to your driving!!! During one of the many snow storms we’ve had this winter, I spotted a 10 mile srtetch where nearly ALL the vehicles in the ditch or involved in collisions were 4 wheel drive or AWD and I’m sure nearly all had ABS!
The modern US approach to safety is to protect the drivers from themselves and try to make the vehicle idiot-proof. In other developed countries they have mandatory driver improvement courses if you are involved in a stupid, preventable accident.
I don’t like ABS and have never found them a help when it is slick.
The exact same thing just happened to me! I bought a 2003 Hyundai Sonata about 2 weeks ago from a private seller who seemed like stand-up guy - he’s even a federal law enforcement officer. During the buying process, I asked him twice if the car had ABS and he said it did. I also paid for a pre-purchase inspection at local dealer…but didn’t ask them to verify that the car had ABS (which obviously I regret now). I just realized last night that ABS was optional on all 2003 Sonatas, and then realized my car doesn’t have it. I emailed the seller, and he wrote back that in flipping throught he manual he saw ABS mentioned and figured the car had it. At this point, I’m not sure if there’s anything I can do. If I sue, the difference in blue book value probably isn’t much - I think it was only a $550 difference when the car was new. I could argue that the sale should be cancelled and my purchase price refunded…except that I already paid for a tune-up and to have a timing belt put in. 
Edmunds says the value is $143 for a private sale. I wouldn’t settle for less. It’s your friend’s error, not yours. He should make up the difference in full.
To me it would be worth my two front teeth, that I lost when I was 16 years old and involved in a 16 car accident (I was # 16 and it was a lack of direction control that prevented me from totally missing and injury or damage.
A younger guy at work was telling me about his buddy driving his car for the first time, which had cruise control, his buddy never drove a car with cruise control before. The guy said his buddy hit the cruise control and let go of the steering wheel and the car started to drift over to the side of the road, with the guy yelling for him to grab the steering wheel. His buddy replied “Don’t have to, this car’s got cruise control, it’ll correct itself.”
ABS reduces the likelihood of skidding, it does not eliminate it. Under the wrong conditions, a car will skid no matter what. It happened to me last winter. I put my brakes on to stop going down a hill leaving a parking lot. The road was covered with ice, and the only way to avoid skidding was to stay off the brakes. There was a stop sign at the bottom of the hill, so I had to use my brakes or drive into the road and possible oncoming traffic. Luckily, I stopped before I got too far into the road. O other occasions, it may have been helpful. I can’t say for sure, because I can’t confront any situation with and without ABS.
Mr. Phil, count me out of that statement.
Actually, if that statement has any truth to it there should be data showing that people with ABS have higher accident rates than those without ABS. In order for the data to show that ABS itself was not causal to the accidents the data would need to be backed by analysis as to cause.
I’ve yet to see any data showing ABS gaving had an impact on accident rates or on driving behaviors one way or the other. If you’re aware of any, I’m interested.
ABS should never be a deal-breaker when purchasing a vehicle. If it has it, fine, if not, still fine. ABS is practically worthless in the real world. If you are an experienced driver you don’t need ABS. The people that need ABS should not be on the road anyway.
When they malfunction, figure on $1500 minimum to repair them…You can live very nicely without them…
10-4! Kevin
Nothing like the feeling of needing to"drag" the wheels and nothing happens-Kevin