I agree with you, and I should've taken it to the dealer, but sadly most dealerships dont know what they are doing. And I didnt trade in the cra because of the ABS, I traded it in because of multiple reasons but mainly because my hatch rattled constantly. And thru my experiences dealing with dealerships in trying to get them to address/fix my hatch rattle, I learned that unless it is an obvious fix or Toyota has already released some sort of fix-it kit, they dont know what they are doing...

 

yup dealerships never do much. they just say we will inspect it and then say we didn't find anything wrong with it. and now that i have suspension upgrades they will say it is due to the modifications or some bs. ive given up with dealerships. besides everytime i take my car in i get crap service by them.

 

^^ You just need to educate yourself about your rights and learn not to take s**t from the dealership. Don't be a typical uninformed car owner and assume YOU can't do anything about it, they're counting on your lack of knowledge and your ability to believe the BS they feed you.

 

I'm not quite sure if I have the same problem, but when braking DOWNHILL, my car's RPM's drop from say, 2,500 RPM's, to below 1,000 and then shoot back up to 2,000-2,500ish, making my car seem like it's stalling or something. Is this normal??? :/

 

Thanks everyone for your thoughts on this. I haven't had good luck with the Scion dealerships, but will give another try soon for this issue. Just today I almost ran into another car when the ABS flipped out when I was braking and there was a little bump in the road.

 

You can. Just disable the ABS sensor. We did that to a buddy of mines Gen4 Camry cause he didn't like the way it reacted while autocrossing. He hasn't had ABS on that car for 3 or so years now, stops fine, just no ABS.

 

The only issues I have had with ABS is when driving on ice. When the ABS activates it sounds like I am grinding gears. But as far as braking on dry surfaces, your ABS should remain inactive unless you slam on the brakes (to the point where your tires would squeal without ABS).

Here’s a simple procedure to diagnose the problem. Get your mother to ride with you then try to replicate the symptom. If she’s grabbing the “oh-____” handle, then it’s your driving style.

If you’re positive the problem is with your ABS and not your driving style, then definitely get it checked out. If they can’t replicate the failure then insist that someone rides with you so you can show them.

 

Okay so I have noticed this ABS problem a couple of times with my '05 tC, but not that much. I do more shifting gears than braking. ( the engine can do the work )

But most people don't know that the ABSOLUTE WORST THING YOU CAN DO WHEN YOU HAVE ABS IS...PUMP YOUR BRAKES!!!!!!!!!! This resets the ABS control system and makes it act, well however it wants to.

So when I'm sitting at a light and the next to me or ahead of me is pumping his brakes to go with his music or maybe thinking he is being cool, I just laugh knowing that he is f!!!!!g up his car. When he really needs his ABS, it ain't gonna be there for him.

Take it to the dealer, if it's still under warranty they have to fix it.

 

lol, Im sure that since its under warranty the dealer has to fix it. But can they fix it is another story...

 

If it's a reset problem than I don't see why not.

Of course if it's another problem and you don't take it in to find out then i guess we'll never know if it is something they can fix.

All I can say is that when I got my car and took in for service i got one service rep and have done my damnedest to deal with only him. In most cases if he is not there I go back another day. If you get one guy than he is more likely to remember you and work with you to figure out what's up. That's how the guy I deal with is.

I guess that all I can say is good luck.

 

well, here in MA, we have Clair Scion which is our sponsor for ScioNRG MA. They always give us the hookup on everything, including fixing things that technically shouldnt be covered under warranty. We only deal with one service rep, Maria, and she knowsher stuff. But if Toyota doesnt have a fix for the problem, then your SOL because the dealer cant do anything about it.

 

Alright I see your issue. It's one of those doctor's here problem's fixed issues. Had it tons of times, fortunately only on the used cars that I had before I got my tC.

The problem exists all the time, even your friends notice it, but when you take it to the dealer...huh, where did it go. It's BS, I agree been there done that.

 

i agree with everyone here, the tc's abs is way too sensitive, i was braking today, slight dip in the road, and the abs kicked on! and yes I did pump the brakes, because abs, would've continued to let me move forward into the intersection! no thanks..

and yes i have already changed the tires to something better than stock.. in case people are wondering to blame that.. nope it's just the over sensitive abs..

 

How-to guide, anyone?

 

ABS doesn't kick in on unless a wheel speed suddenly begins to approach zero.

From what you all are describing, could it be that this is really a SUSPENSION problem?

Such that when you hit a bump, a wheel somewhere becomes airborn, and since that wheel is being braked in midair, it suddenly slows/stops, which turns on the ABS?

 

hm, i see that last post in the other thread just said exactly what i did...

suspension issue, but the more I think about it, probably also compounded by poor ABS software

seems a reflash of the ABS unit is in order.

maybe toyota needs to investigate this

 

Isn't the ABS software highly guarded and made by only one or two companies? Denso?

This would probably make troubleshooting difficult; however, it would not be impossible. I think it warrants a look by Toyota.

With that said, I luckily have not had any problems (but I've only had my ABS engage once, and at that time it engaged at the correct time and situation, and allowed me to stop just in time).

 

I was all set to get a tC... Now, I don't know. Is there any way to fix this? I don't want to get the tC, if I can easily get into an accident!!!

Can someone give me hope that the tC isn't that bad with ABS? I live on a very hilly mountain and I think that my ABS might do that if I get the tC....

 

Jdreb, I think it sounds a lot worse than it is. I don't know for sure, but it sounds like it has only been a problem for people that have different suspension. Maybe we should do a poll to find out how often it actually happens and whether or not it happens on just vehicles with suspension mods.

 

Yeah, I think I will start a poll!