Okay, if it's a BRRR type sound and your foot feels like it stepped on a buzzer, it's most likely the ABS activating as you stop. The common reason is rust jacking. The wheel speed sensors go through the cast iron of the hub and read the speed of the vehicle from a reluctor wheel that spins with the axle. When everything is clean the sensors create a nice signal with a high voltage the ABS can read. Over time the iron corrodes and as it does it lifts the sensor up and away from the reluctor wheel. This causes the signal to get weaker. At first this isn't a big issue because they still all read the same. As it gets worse one or more of the sensors starts to drop out as the wheels slow down. So now the ABS reads that 3 tires are still turning at say 5mph, but the last one reads 0 mph. The ABS doesn't care why it reads 0 it just knows that 3 moving one stopped while you are stepping on the brakes means that wheel is skidding and activates the ABS to release the brakes and give you back control. Many vehicles do it as they age but for some reason GMs seem to be the most well known for it. The repair is sort of simple, you go to each wheel speed sensor, remove it and plug the hole, then knock the rust away from the mounting location. Then apply some grease and reinstall the sensor. The catch is that many times the rust doesn't just lift the sensor, it also squeezes it in the bore and makes it impossible to remove the sensor and you end up breaking the sensor off and then changing out the hub or knuckle as the repair.
If you google "GM low speed ABS activation" you will find tons of information and videos on the problem. Many about the trucks but it happens on the cars as well. The best way to verify that it's the issue is to use a scan tool that can read the live data from the speed sensors. As you watch them and slow down one (or more) will abruptly read zero, even if the car is still moving. The other item that can cause this is if the tone ring or reluctor is damaged, that will cause the same issue and signal drop out, but usually the repair is a new tone ring.
This video shows what I mean,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIaCGAY1AoM as does this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiYsshGE_ks
They also show the repair better than the images I can post about the issue. This shows replacing the sensor but it's usually not a bad sensor but the rust.
https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-replace-an-abs-wheel-speed-sensor
Friday, September 26th, 2025 AT 3:54 AM