Had a real interesting experience this weekend. Coming over the crest of a hill doing about 45 I came upon a light just changing to red and had to make a fairly quick stop. Right after hitting the brakes I hit a sunken manhole cover with the right side wheels. In my last car with ABS I would have felt a chattering in the brake pedal as it pulsed the right side brakes for a split second with a slight pull to the left. In the Sonic I felt nothing in the pedal - it stayed firm, but it was as if the pressure just disappeared from the right side entirely. The car slewed pretty violently to the left to the point where I was counter-steering like a dirt-track car trying to say in the lane. The pressure seemed to gradually return as the car straightened out just before coming to a stop. At no point did the light for the stability-control come on to tell me it was trying to assist. Is this the way ABS is supposed to work, these days? If so I'd rather pull the fuse and drive around without it...
ABS Issue
- Thread starter DaveH
- Start date
laborsmith
New member
Well, we all know that is not the way the systems are supposed to work. What we don't know is if a part can be damaged but the cel not come on.
If by some absurd bet with fate you have avoided taking it in to be checked, may I be permitted to suggest that you do so quickly. I know the car can be driven with the fuses pulled as long as you know the system is disabled and you are a competent driver, but in this case it appears there is a somewhat hidden part failure and may not be safe for even the most competent driver.
I use the word "may" because your report indicates something is wrong but we do not know.
Laborsmith
If by some absurd bet with fate you have avoided taking it in to be checked, may I be permitted to suggest that you do so quickly. I know the car can be driven with the fuses pulled as long as you know the system is disabled and you are a competent driver, but in this case it appears there is a somewhat hidden part failure and may not be safe for even the most competent driver.
I use the word "may" because your report indicates something is wrong but we do not know.
Laborsmith
This is all because of the manhole cover you hit. I highly doubt anything will be found if you take it in. It's just an oddity in the dynamics of striking something such as a pothole or other uneven surface while braking. It happened to me in my Subaru, and has happened in my Sonic also.
My only issue with taking it in is that the nearest Chevy dealer doesn't exactly inspire my confidence, based on my experience with their parts department. I have a much better feeling about the service dept at the one where I bought the car, but he's about an hour away. I'm thinking of finding a rough road and/or parking lot and making a bunch of panic stops to see if I can replicate the problem.