ABS problems on the new corsas? I have a new 2007 vauxhall corsa. I was driving in snow yesterday and when I?

Question

braked, the ABS came on as expected, but I seemed to loose pressure on the brake, the pedal felt solid, almost like the servo had failed. As a result I could not stop the car using the brake and almost had an accident. Vauxhall say there`s nothing wrong with the brakes and this is normal! Has anyone else encountered these problems?

Answer 1

At 10 mph, I doubt if the ABS would kick in as, in most cases you have to be going over 20mph for the system to work properly.( rapid "kicking back" through the brake pedal) If it did come in you would have been able to steer around the potential accident. Where the majority of drivers get it wrong is that they expect to be able to stop quicker, but the object of these systems is to give the driver the ability to brake heavily whilst still retaining full use of the steering to avoid potential hazards. I know it is virtually impossible for the majority of drivers to learn how to use all the safety systems on modern vehicles, but if you can find a quiet road/car park,  have a go at finding out. It can be fun, but it COULD save your life. I drive 44 tonne Artics & they all have ABS/EBS braking systems , with air disc brakes all round , & coupled with the new breed of engine brakes I can tell you from personal experience that these systems do work.

Answer 2

If you just held the brake pedal down, without pumping it, you should have heard the ABS brake servos working and possibly felt the drumming sensation through the brake pedal. If there was a malfunction the ABS light would come on steady and not turn off to warn you to get the system scanned for codes and repairs. There is an outside chance you may have had the throttle open and the RPMs up a bit which would have caused a lack of vacuum at the power brake booster resulting in a hard pedal. I'd find an empty parking lot and do a few "panic stops" just to see if it happens again. This will also give you a little experience with stopping with the ABS system working and an idea as to stopping distances on ice or snow.

Answer 3

snow got caught in brakes, if dont fix fast enough the brakes will rust to the caLIPER AND IT WILL BE A VERY EXPENSIVE REPAIR.

Answer 4

sounds quite normal for ABS on snow. Try going down hill on ice !! You`ll think your never going to stop, but you will....eventually!!. But without ABS you`ll just skid into whatever`s in the way !

Answer 5

The ABS very rapidly applying and releasing the brakes, so the brake pedal will feel different as at times it is being applied...this is normal its called cadance braking.

Answer 6

In light trucks that are equipped with rear-wheel ABS, however, the front wheels can still lock up the same as with conventional brakes and feel like a soft pedal.

If that happens, the driver should ease up on the brake pedal with just enough pressure to allow the front wheels to roll again so the driver can steer.

Answer 7

ABS just stops the wheels from locking up meaning you can still steer while braking. It won't make you stop quicker, especially on snow!

Answer 8

ABS makes it harder for the brakes to lock but they still will lock a little perhaps you stalled the engine which reduces the amont of power assistance on the brake pedal

Answer 9

It is normal. You could not stop because your on snow ! Try driving slower. If the ABS had not worked you would have skidded and lost control which is far worse.

Even  at 10mph if there is no grip, the car however clever cant defy physics. so will still need time to stop.

Abs will work at 10mph if you drive onto mud with one wheel you can feel it work, even if at walking pace !

Read your cars handbook it will explain it