[CoastStarlight]

I was on the on ramp the other day when a small truck lost control and started fish tailing in the lane next to me, I had to hit my brakes, he came witthin inches of me, when I hit my brakes I could feel the front Brakes kick in and the peadal start to spudder, but the rear Brake didnt work, well they did but they locked up, the rear skidded loud and My back end slid in to the next lane behind the truck- it was a pretty tight curve, I dont know if there was anything on the road that contributed to the small truck sliding or my car, but right when I hit the brakes I felt the back end skid, and then a second later started to slide in the lane behinde the truck, so I let go the brakes go to stop sliding- any clue why the rear Anti-lock Brakes didnt kick in?

 

[LapisLazuli6]

The contact patch of the tire sometimes has alot to do with the ABS brakes too. I've skid a little before in dry, but never in wet weather.

Also, I've slid in rain even with ABS brakes. That's why ppl shouldn't rely on them. I know you weren't, just saying that alot of ppl do rely on safety systems to compensate for their poor driving.

Glad you're ok and didn't have an accident. If you feel uneasy about the ABS operation, take the car to the dealer and have them look at it.

 

[Slapstick]

do you have a CAI that could have rubbed through the ABS "harness" near the wheel well? Just a thought.

 

[cwa107]

I assume on an off-ramp you were probably driving in an arc. It might have just been some sort of roadway contamination in tandem with the hard braking and cutting the wheel could certainly send you into a skid. I don't think there's anything wrong with the ABS, when you're performing an emergency manuver there's only so much it can do to help.

God forbid it happen to you again, just keep in mind that you either want to brake hard or swerve - not both - in the event you lose traction. I learned this lesson the hard way myself on a couple of occasions. Unfortunately, in the heat of the moment your instincts can work against you.

Where ABS really helps is when you have poor traction, heading in a straight line and you slam on the brakes. The ABS should keep your car tracking predictably, in a relatively straight line.

 

[mkaresh]

You would probably see a warning light if something was wrong with the system. A number of Proteges, including mine, have had wheel speed sensors go bad, but there's a warning light when they do.

That said, some ABS systems are more sophisticated than others. Sounds like yours got confused.

 

[DennisW]

You would probably see a warning light if something was wrong with the system. A number of Proteges, including mine, have had wheel speed sensors go bad, but there's a warning light when they do.

That said, some ABS systems are more sophisticated than others. Sounds like yours got confused. [/b]

Doubtful......Sounds more like, as was stated previously, the situation was at fault and not the car.

Even ABS is still applying the brakes, and if you're trying to brake and turn the wheel quickly at the same time, something's gotta give. Remember, its the TIRES that stop the car, not the brakes. The brakes just slow the tires down. If your tires loose contact with the road it doesn't matter what the brakes are doing, the car isn't going to stop or respond to your inputs. You braked hard and cut the wheel quickly to avoid the truck and the lighter end of the car got loose, pretty much what you would expect to happen when you can sit down afterward and analyze the incident, but pretty scary at the time it happens.

Your car is fine, and if there were an ABS fault you would get and instrument panel indicator telling you.

By the way, you had the right solution, you got off the brakes and the car became stable and controllable again, the average driver would have continuted to mash the brake pedal into the floor and probably been involved in a collision of some sort because the car would have continued sliding and most likely would have hit something.