Weird Problem After ABS Module was Replaced

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Joe Garcia, Apr 14, 2025.

  1. Joe Garcia

    Joe Garcia New Member

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    Hi everyone,
    I haven't seen a problem like mine. My ABS was out for a while (months), typical problem. The mechanic was a hybrid (Prius) specialist. He changed out the module and the sound and light was gone and the power is back to the brakes but now, if you turn the steering wheel all the way on a turn more than 5mph or so, it sounds like the ABS is engaging. At least that is what the mechanic said. He checked the Yah sensor and said he checked the wheel sensors but I'm still having the problem which was not there before or after the ABS went out. It will only happen on a sharp turn with the wheels turned all the way over a certain mph, it happens turning left or right, and I am not hitting the brake at all. I'm thinking it is a wheel sensor or the wire but I don't think this mechanic wants to work on my Prius anymore. LOL!
     
  2. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    Does this ever come up when it could turn into a safety issue? Or can it be written off as an annoying quirk/failing of a 15 year old car that you can learn to live with?
     
  3. Joe Garcia

    Joe Garcia New Member

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    I'm thinking about selling it and getting a newer model so I will need to fix it. It's pretty bad when it happens.
     
  4. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    Is dash lit up whilst this is occuring?
     
  5. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    He is responsible for this issue. Either he repairs it, or you take it to Toyota and he
    gets to pay them for repairing it.


     
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  6. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    Either you or the mechanic can pull up the ABS History page in Techstream and see what all the sensor readings were the most recent four times the ABS or traction control activated.
     
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  7. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    which part did he replace? Were they brand new parts?
     
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  8. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace 2025 Camry XLE FWD

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    Since the mechanic is knowledgeable, he is also responsible for troubleshooting the issue. In the meantime, it sounds quite unsafe to me.
     
  9. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    Yes, it IS dangerous.
    If you didn't have the issue before he worked on the car, but did after, doesn't take a lot
    to figure out there was something he did....

     
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  10. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    Well, it does sound like probably something he did. But be careful of habitually thinking "well, it happened after, so it must be because." Post hoc ergo propter hoc still comes around to bite people now and then.
     
  11. Joe Garcia

    Joe Garcia New Member

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    No

    It hasn't thrown an ABS light since he worked on it. He says it must be something that went wrong when the abs had already gone out. He put in a used ABS module and says its working fine. Can the ABS module fail and cause this while not making the weird noise or throwing any lights on the dash? Will there be a code saved if it never triggered a code light?
     
    #11 Joe Garcia, Apr 15, 2025
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 15, 2025
  12. Joe Garcia

    Joe Garcia New Member

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    He checked it through techstream and there are no codes. Showed everything is functioning properly. He's swamped this week but will have me take it in next week. He has 4 or 5 Prius's in at any given time and works on them a lot and this is the first time he's encountered this.
     
  13. Joe Garcia

    Joe Garcia New Member

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  14. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    The ABS light on the dash only indicates warnings of improper operation. It does not light when the ABS is merely doing what it's there for, modulating brake pressures if it thinks a skid might be coming. But you will see the record of those incidents in ABS History.

    By contrast, the traction control does blink the traction light on the dash when it does its job, but sometimes it's easy to miss.
     
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  15. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace 2025 Camry XLE FWD

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    Does it still do it with traction control turned off?
     
  16. Joe Garcia

    Joe Garcia New Member

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    Yes