ABS on this truck is dangerous...

You need one of these.

 

With Janster on this one; if ABS took power away from your brakes altogether, get it checked.

If what you're describing happened, you have a defect. Another possible explanation is that there was more ice than you thought (black ice can be pretty tough to spot...) and you simply had no traction when ABS kicked in (and it kicked in because you had no traction...). But, I wasn't there. Just offering a possible explanation.

The only thing ABS should ever be doing is pumping your brakes, not removing power entirely. I've seen enough non-ABS vehicles skid when trying to brake without ABS to know that I like having it - I simply can't pump the brakes as fast as the system can do it.

 

Oh, and when I was in chicago last year, I tested out the ABS and VSC systems on my truck, they worked great. I was in a parking lot with snow between 6 and 12" unplowed, unsalted, along with another section that was salted and plowed with ice patches. In all scenarios the ABS kept me braking in a straight line and not skidding out.
However, the key to winter driving is to never engage ABS to begin with... If it kicks on, you're braking too fast and allowing too little room to stop. IMO, winter driving is all about assuming that you're going to keep going in a straight line (whether because of understeer or inability to stop) for a very long time and planning ahead accordingly. I try to make sure there's nothing ahead of me for 50 feet during winter driving, if I can, and I baby the truck through a turn.

Of course, it was a 2009 so it may have an updated ABS system as someone mentioned.

 

I've had similar issues from time to time... Usually when I hit a bump/pothole right when I'm about to stop. Then I hear that ABS kick in and I lose stopping power.

IMO, it's a problem.

 

I was testing the truck in a parking lot with packed powder the other day. Under 10mph, hit the brakes to engage ABS. The brakes almost made a revving sound, and I felt no pulsating. The truck just slid like I had no brakes. Also, on a dry road, have you ever engaged your brakes coming to a stop and hit a bump while braking? It does the same thing. Feels like the brakes disengage and my RPM's actually went up?? (No, I did not hit the gas, for the naysayers). I dunno if my brakes are just fucked up, or if this is common.

 

I've never had my brakes not engage. That sounds like a serious problem; no manufacturer to my knowledge would intentionally ever make a braking system that removed braking altogether.

 

Sounds like my issue almost exactly!

 

Yep, I've had that happen too, though not real often and not recently.

 

Good tips on alternative stopping methods... and good idea to take it to a shop and have it looked at... But asking why someone didn't do something in what could be a scary situation is like asking why the cop didn't shoot the criminal, before the criminal shot the cop.

There are lots of variables in every situation that caused the situation to occur.

I believe I am a good driver... and excellent one at that. I've been to a professional off-road driving school and a high-speed evasive driving school. And even with training, good situational awareness, etc... if you (unintentionally) take away traction - it can startle you.

It still startles me when this happens.

 

I did not use 1st gear engine braking because I was already moving slower than 1st gear would move at idle.

I did consider pulling the e-brake, but that will most likely just lock up the rear wheels. Between being on snow, already moving faster than I wanted to be due to the ABS taking away my brake power, and the fact that I was headed downhill, I didn't think locking up the rear wheels was really a great idea. In that particular circumstance, when I saw I had a gap in traffic, I thought it was safer to just make a go at it and get out onto the road. Had that gap in traffic not been there, I don't think there was much that could have been done.

In the other scenario, there was not enough time to take any other action. I was at the stop sign when the ABS kicked in.

I'd like to see your reaction if you're coming to a nice, controlled stop at a stop sign, and a moment before you come to that stop, your brake pedal drops to the floor and you coast right through the intersection, then someone tells you it was your fault and not the truck's.

 

Maybe this is the big difference? I have an 09 and most people who say they have issues are 07 or below. I haven't seen any issues with my ABS and I have been on snow/hard packed snow/ice plenty. I'm still rockin the stock Dunlops as well.

 

If your brake pedal dropped to the floor, you have a problem with your truck. The ABS may be the issue, but somehow you lost hydraulic pressure. I would have a dealer check it out. When my ABS kicks in, I push the pedal harder to offset the natural reaction to lift. My pedal has never gone to the floor and my brakes and ABS system worked as designed. Again, I agree that the system is too sensitive, but I still think you may have a more serious issue. JMO.

 

ABS should NOT do this! Get that checked, dude. When ABS engages, it feels almost like it's difficult to press the brake down because it keeps bobbing up really fast, like it's freaking out.

It doesn't just fall to the floor - that's not ABS, that's you losing brake pressure.

 

I was referring to a hypothetical situation, and I was exaggerating when I said "drop to the floor". It drops some, but I get the same bobbing feeling in the pedal. My natural reaction is to push harder when that happens, I think primarily because it suddenly feels like the brakes aren't doing much.

 

Please re-read that WHOLE sentance. His pedal did not fall to the floor...he said "what if".

 

I _did_ read the whole 'sentance' [sic]. And he was describing, again, a situation that happened regarding abs that he had already mentioned earlier in the thread. Perhaps you should do some reading yourself?

 

Don't assume I'm just a poor driver. Downshifting wouldn't have worked in either situation I described. In both situations, I was already at a near stop or slow crawl. 1st gear at idle would have me moving faster than I was moving at that point. There was not enough time to pull the e-brake in the intersection scenario I described, and I think it would have been more dangerous to do so in the situation the other day, because I would have simply found myself locked up sideways on the road. In that particular scenario, the best thing to do was to just go for it, and that's what I did.

Trust me, in some situations all the skill, quick thinking, and fast reaction in the world won't do you any good if your equipment simply won't allow you to do what needs to be done.