TCS and ABS lights turn on and off while driving?

Tiny
JMONEY132
  • MEMBER
  • 2004 HYUNDAI XG350
  • V6
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 150,000 MILES
This warning light is accompanied by a shaky steering wheel at low speeds. I am not sure if these are related. The TCS and ABS warning light has been coming on and off for probably over a year now, is it a faulty sensor or something likely wrong? Is the shaky wheel connected to this light coming off and on or an unrelated issue? Is the shaky wheel a safety issue? I have been driving with it just fine for a little while. Thanks for your help! Just trying to figure out if I should get this fixed but trying to save money on an old car that's already had some decent repairs.
Friday, December 29th, 2023 AT 3:41 PM

9 Replies

Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 110,114 POSTS
Hi,

Chances are the ABS and TCS are related. In most cases, a faulty wheel speed sensor will cause them to come on.

As far as the steering wheel shaking, the only thing I can think of is either the brake rotors are warped, or the ABS is actuating. If it was the rotors, you would feel it regardless of speed.

When this happens, do you hear anything? Also, here is a link that explains how to test a wheel speed sensor.

Take a look through it and let me know if you are comfortable performing it:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/abs-wheel-speed-sensor-test

Let me know,

joe
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Friday, December 29th, 2023 AT 9:01 PM
Tiny
JMONEY132
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Thanks for the reply, Joe! If it is a faulty wheel speed sensor, is that dangerous to drive on/is it worth fixing? Would you fix it if it were your car?

Also, about 2 weeks ago I had a front brake job done including new pads and rotors, but the shaking is still there. Does that help narrow down what might be causing that? It’s really only noticeable when I’m driving through my neighborhood at low speeds, I’ll let go of the steering wheel and it shakes back and forth. Thanks for your help.
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Saturday, December 30th, 2023 AT 8:13 AM
Tiny
JMONEY132
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And now when the wheel shakes, I do not hear anything.
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Saturday, December 30th, 2023 AT 8:14 AM
Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 110,114 POSTS
Hi,

If the shaking was happening before the brake repairs, then I would focus on a sensor actuating the ABS system. Is it dangerous? If it is in fact a wheel speed sensor, it shouldn't be dangerous. However, the ABS may not work if needed. Basically, you would have traditional power brakes without ABS.

Do you ever feel any vibration in the brake pedal? Also, is the steering wheel excessive enough to record and upload for me to see?

Let me know.

Joe
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Saturday, December 30th, 2023 AT 7:59 PM
Tiny
JMONEY132
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Today I actually did feel something when I braked, it was like the brake pedal hit the floor/scraped the bottom. The pedal shook and made a sound, and immediately the TCS/ABS light came back on. Not sure what that is? Brakes work fine otherwise and as I said before I just got the front brakes replaced. This has happened before the brake job was done.

This video is the best I could do to capture the shaking. It’s hard to tell.
Video (Click to make bigger)
Thumb
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Wednesday, January 3rd, 2024 AT 6:39 PM
Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 110,114 POSTS
Hi,

What you felt sounds like the ABS system was actuated. That will make a noise and cause what you felt.

What we need to do is to either check each wheel speed sensor as mentioned above or have the can-bus scanned. CAN stands for controller area network.

Basically, the different modules are tied together via a few wires. When you scan the can-bus, it will retrieve codes regardless of the module storing them. In this case, I suspect the ABS module will have the codes.

Here is a link that shows how it's done:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/can-scan-controller-area-network-easy

Let me know your thoughts. If we don't check things, it will become a guessing game.

Take care,

Joe
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Thursday, January 4th, 2024 AT 5:23 PM
Tiny
JMONEY132
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Got it, yeah, I mean if the ABS isn’t dangerous, I’ll probably just leave it be for now. I’ll just be really cautious in poor road conditions. Would the ABS actuating cause the steering wheel to move back and forth? Or do you think that could be a different issue? I appreciate all your time and help!
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Thursday, January 4th, 2024 AT 7:26 PM
Tiny
JMONEY132
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Would not fixing this cause other parts of the car to break down/do damage to the vehicle?
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Thursday, January 4th, 2024 AT 7:34 PM
Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
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Hi,

I wouldn't think the steering would do that. However, the stability control may be causing it.

As far as breaking something, without being 100% sure a sensor is the issue, I'm afraid to answer that. But, if I'm correct and it is a wheel speed sensor, it shouldn't hurt anything. Just remember, when the light is on (ABS light) the system is non-functional.

Let me know if you have questions or if I can help in any way.

Take care.

Joe
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Thursday, January 4th, 2024 AT 9:13 PM

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