When your Chevrolet Silverado ABS and brake lights illuminate, this
indicates a problem with its anti-lock braking system; often this is caused by a failed
wheel speed sensor.
The light may also be illuminated due to low brake fluid levels, defective fuses or an
issue with the ABS module itself. As soon as this occurs, check fluid levels as soon as
possible.
Low Tire Pressure
Maintaining proper air pressure in your tires is one of the easiest, yet most essential
car maintenance tasks you can perform. Doing this can have a variety of positive
effects, from improving fuel economy to prolonging tire lifespan and safety
concerns; low air pressure may cause wheel slippage and loss of control of your
vehicle, especially if your traction control or abs light is illuminated on the
dashboard.
If the “service tire monitor system” warning lights appear alongside your ABS and
traction control warning lights, this indicates a problem with your tire pressure
monitoring system (TPMS) that requires immediate attention. You may be able to
reset this yourself by adjusting tire pressure to its optimal level and turning the car
off and back on; otherwise you should visit your local Chevy dealer for professional
diagnosis and repair.
Faulty Wheel Speed Sensor
Your wheel speed sensor informs your car about how fast one wheel is moving. A
faulty sensor could either not transmit any data at all to the ABS control unit or
transmit incorrect information; to test if yours is bad, use an OBD2 scanner and read
any codes sent by the ABS control unit; it could also just be dirty, with dirt or rocks
stuck inside of it that is preventing transmission. When replacing one with another
suitable one suited for your vehicle and disconnect the negative battery cable before
starting work on this process.
After you assemble everything back, disconnecting and reconnecting the positive
battery cable is necessary to reset the computer and avoid transmission problems.
After this step is completed, use a scan tool and clear all codes from the ABS control
unit so you can switch off its light.
Faulty ABS Pump
If the ABS light and the BRAKE light both illuminate at once, this indicates a major
problem with your main braking system and you should refrain from driving your car
until its source has been addressed.
If the ABS pump fails, your Silverado’s traction control may also stop functioning and
stop being functional – in which case, replace the pump immediately and clear any
fault codes with an OBD II scanner that has an ABS feature.
Faulty ABS sensors will not send signals to the control unit or may provide incorrect
data, so to test one you’ll need either a voltmeter or ohmmeter to measure
resistance of wires and measure their resistance; if internal solder joints have failed
then corrosion may ensue and should be addressed by replacing this sensor
immediately.
Faulty ABS Module
When one or more wheel speed sensors stop functioning properly, the ABS light will
illuminate. These sensors measure actual wheel speeds and report them back to an
ECU that controls multiple systems, including anti-lock brake systems. When sensors
fail they may fail to report data at all or send incorrect information back – using a
code scanner can help identify which sensor(s) is sending incorrect data back.
As it’s generally an easy problem to address, this should be relatively
straightforward. First, try turning off and on your ignition key – similar to rebooting a
computer – which may reset the ABS controller. If this doesn’t work, the next step
should be finding a shop with an OBD-II scanner capable of reading ABS codes; most
dealerships and some independent shops should have these available; at that time
you could pay an OBD technician to plug a scan tool into the ABS module to obtain
diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs), which should provide insight as to what might be
going wrong with the ABS module and provide you with clues as to what may be
happening with it.