My son's 2008 Escape 4WD with 111,000 miles has had the traction control and ABS (antilock brake) indicators lit on the dash for some time now. I should have attended to it sooner, but tonight was the first time I've driven the car and it appears to exhibit another odd effect that I wanted to mention.

When driving normally, everything is fine, but when applying the brakes, the car seems to weave back and forth somewhat. It feels almost like I'm piloting a boat and going through some small ripples.

Any ideas what could tie this all together? I checked the lug nuts and they were all tight. The tires only have about 5000 miles on them.

Any suggestions???

 

You might consider having the vehicle checked for codes. I would suspect there is a malfunctioning wheel speed sensor or sensor wiring problem. The code will/should direct you to which wheel has the problem, Cause could be dirty sensor, distance from pick-up, defective sensor or wiring to/from sensor to ABS module. The code will help isolate which of these it could be.

 

I would lean toward a bad ABS tone ring. They are the most common item I see with this related symptom.

 

Well, I was hoping it was a tone ring since they're pretty cheap, but my son and I just looked under the car and none of the four were loose.

Next step would be reading the codes. I suppose a normal code reader that scans 'check engine' codes won't read these.

Any suggestions on an inexpensive reader or app I should use?

 

OK, I Tried my Torque app and it gave the code

C1233 -- Speed Wheel LF Input Signal Missing.

 

You have a couple of options.
you could test the output of the speed sensor with a multimeter
You could replace it without proving it to be defective
You could check the integrity of the wiring to the ABS module
I'm aware you have a scan tool , but don't know how involved you want to get with this problem or just what tools or equipment you have to work with.
At least now you have some direction to go.

 

Took the left front tire off and checked the sensor wiring. Traced it up into the engine bay and did not see any problems with it. The fuses relating to ABS were fine.

 

There are times you can see the problem if it is physical, but if internal or can't be seen when assembled, you just replace the sensor when directed there and cannot find any other apparent problem.

 

I have a used 2014 Ford Escape Titanium, and the car is having the same problem. I have recently had recalls done by the Ford company, and they ended up replacing the ABS monitor twice. The lights come on after the car has been running and moving for twenty minutes. I often put-on the Brakes very softly and the Information light also then goes on to let me know I have no Hill assist. I have to stop the Car, put the car in Park and let the message board tell me that the Hill assist is unavailable, and then I turn off the car and wait five minutes. I then can turn on the car and drive again without the lights coming on on the Dash. I was wondering if these lights are trying to give a signal that the computer has to be rebooted, or if the lights are connected to possible problems with the electrical system controlling the Brakes.