I just disabled the ABS on my 2002 Pontiac Aztek and it was GM’s brilliant idea to include a constant ding-ding-ding warning chime letting me know that I don’t have ABS. Does anyone have any ideas on how I could turn that off before I drive off a bridge listening to it? I have an hour long commute daily and I won’t be able to handle this for long!
It should be a plug-in type chime so reach under the dash until you find it and unplug it.
My suggestion is to undo what you did. Why would you want to disable it?
Well, my ABS seems to be working overtime. It cycles (low hum/vibration that i can hear and feel in my feet on the pedals) for 3-5 seconds after every bump, dip and pothole. It is also making me feel like I am out of control when I break (on dry pavement), it is working like I would expect it to on ice when I start sliding, but it is doing it in normal driving conditions. I feel like I don’t have control of how fast my car stops because it kicks in and takes over for me when it doesn’t need to. I don’t feel safe driving WITH the ABS and I don’t plan to drop $1500 to fix the problem. We have driven plenty of cars without ABS so I am not worried much about not having the ABS system to begin with.
Depending on the laws in your state you may have no choice since it probably can’t pass a safety inspection w/ an ABS system problem.
What leads you to believe that you need to drop $1500 to fix it? Have you actually had anyone diagnose the problem and provide an estimate? You don’t need to go to a dealer. You can go to any reputable local shop (not a corporate chain) - preferably one that specializes in brakes. Not all ABS system problems are crazy or expensive.
I don’t know the Aztek but many GM vehicles have wheel speed sensors embedded in wheel bearings, and when there is a wheel bearing problem the ABS goes funky. Wheel bearing problems are dangerous. At the very least, have a shop check out your bearings and sensor connections.
ABS is not part of a New York State Inspection. All that light is telling you is that there is a problem with the abs so it has turned itself off and has reverted to standard braking. I have a 2002 Town and Country with abs and a 2004 PT Cruiser without it.
I can’t get excited about spending money on my older car to stop it from driving like my newer car.
In NH all safety systems and devices manufactured into the car must be in proper working order in order to pass as safety inspection.
I’m wondering of that “$1500” is based on an actual quote or a guess. Probably the most common problem with ABS systems is cheap to fix…a sensing ring or a speed sensor gets dirty or goes bad. I’ve attached a drawing to illustrate.
http://www.automotive-res.com/how-anti-lock-braking-system-works/
Has the problem been diagnosed?