2007 Traction Control Mystery

[vanakular]

Looking through this thread: www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=271733

I noticed a lot of people brought up the same problem i am having.

Dry pavement, normal driving, grinding sound coming from the dash (guessing thats the ABS cause when you hit the brakes you get the the vibration), traction control light flashes, vehicle decelerates, and the throttle response inconsistent.

first time it happened was around 58k. im at 67k now. i'd say it has happened around a dozen times. not once when i am having a little fun, always when i am driving completely normal. sometimes after the first stop, sometimes while rolling down the road straight at 35mph, sometimes through a slow turn, you get the point. frequency of issue has been a week to 6 months. completely random.

I made the mistake of taking it to the dealer. first time they could not duplicate or understand the issue (its funny how they forget things when you are under warranty). second time (out of warranty) the guy confidently said it was the steering position sensor. $300 out of my pocket and a month later i get the same problem driving down the road. i shoulda researched before i paid. oops.

people in the thread linked above suggested: a cracked tone ring, ABS rings and sensors, exciter rings, and many claim those parts have been checked and are fine. I appreciate people participating and trying to help but i still havent found an answer, online or in person (ive consulted 2 ford dealers and 3 private mechanics).

Not to say im glad other people are having the same problem but its nice to know im not alone... cause this is damn frustrating.

Has anybody figured this out? (sorry if there is another thread about this, i did some searching but i only found the one above)

 

[Flag Gibby]

What you are describing is 100% the ABS system modulating the pressure at the pedal for some reason, but there is no pressure to modulate if your foot is not on the brake pedal. I would start by checking the system under the dash for anything unusual and check the brake fluid level; plus maybe flushing the brake fluid to check for air in the lines. When it is the ABS sensors or tone rings you don't get the system activating under the dash at the brake pedal so you can definitely cross those two items off of the list.

 

[vanakular]

Thanks Gibby, that is a new suggestion and ill give it a go.

 

[alba]

We are having similar problems. Same thing dry pavement slow speed approching junction; ABS activates essentially preventing normal braking and on restart hil descent comes on to prevent accelleration.
Dealer says it is worm tyres causing tyre slip........really. When challenged comes back and says front rotors need to be replaced......really. Front rotors were replaced less than 5000 miles ago. Dealer says they cannot detect any error codes so suggest we continue drive until it happens again......then call a tow truck to see if they can get error code. It is frustrating beyond belief. can't believe Ford are not aware of this problem....and other computer and transmision problems.

 

[JMan689]

It's been years since we had this problem but I remember a dealer in Tulsa saying that the problem was a broken ABS ring or something like that. Never had an issue after it was replaced.