ABS on this truck is dangerous...

I always feel that I can stop a car/truck much better without the ABS, but I'd be concerned about liability issues if you were unfortunate to get into an accident and it was found that you disabled the truck's "safety features".

 

I'm in Alaska and I wish my truck didn't have ABS. It's such an annoyance and really not necessary if you truly know how to drive in snow. I drove an 03 nissan sentra FWD for 3 years with no problems (other than getting stuck in deep snow). Especially when I try and whip my tail end around the corner, I hate that grinding noise!

 

There is nothing worry about from a liability standpoint. You would have to do something really awful to liable beyond what is reasonable. Lots of cars on the road don't have ABS. And who's to say that you disabled it? It was malfunctioning. "In the event of a malfunction ABS disables itself."--That is in the Toyota literature.

 

You keep picking up on little details that are irrelevant to the topic. It seems like you're more focused on trying to expose me as incompetent or something. I've already explained it enough, I'm done playing word gymnastics.

Let me know the next time you make a trip to the other side of the state. We'll go for a drive and maybe I can show you what I'm talking about.

 

I was looking into this back in 2007 soon after I got my Tacoma. I thought back then I read about a fuse for the ABS that could simply be removed. Does that sound familiar to anyone?

 

I'm so sorry you feel that way. Obviously, we have our own understandings of how the system is suppose to work.

Have you taken the truck to the dealer yet?

 

I did talk to a dealer about it today, while I had the service guy on the phone for another issue. He was a really nice guy, but he basically said he thought the ABS was doing what it's supposed to do. When I described the example of it going off on dry pavement, he said they would have to see it happen. Problem is, it's not always repeatable. Other problem is, I'm out of warranty and currently unemployed, so I'd be paying for them to even look at it, and I have a pretty good feeling I'll come away with nothing done.

I actually did ask the dealership I bought the truck from about it back in 2007. I was there for another reason though. They didn't seem to give it a whole lot of consideration, wrote it off as normal.

IMO, if it's normal, it's a defect. And I think the fact that so many others have had similar experiences says that it's a common problem. Perhaps it is normal in that it's common, but it's not right.

 

Ive got a 2010 and this happened last week to me coming out of my steep driveway and I truely almost shit myself. A car was coming down the hill on my drivers side and I was going at a snails pace cuz it was bad out and 500am. I hit the brakes and it just took off. I have lived in the snow belt all my life and in the far Northwoods of Wisconsin so I am very familiar with snow driving. I had to ditch it the neighbors yard to save myself from some real pain. If it happens again it will go to the dealer. It was truely not driver error

 

There is indeed a 30A ABS fuse #2 in the engine compartment left area. It connects to the Skid Control ECU. Removing the fuse might do the trick.

I speculate that if you did pull the fuse and start the truck you would know that ABS is disabled because the ABS warning indicator on the dash would illuminate and stay illuminated beyond the initial systems check.

 

Same here with my '09...

I live in the CO mountains and deal with snow-packed and ice covered mountain roads for 8 months per year, and my truck is stellar...

 

I honestly don't think ABS was designed with snow/ice in mind to begin with. It's mostly designed for on-pavement holy-shit panic type situations where lots of traction is available. In the snow/ice....the system probably goes into panic brain phuck mode - Because after all - in those conditions, you're hell bent in getting any traction at all. The ABS needs some traction to sense the results from all that pulsating. Chances are....the wheels just continue to stay locked up and the system just gives up or goes into overload.
Just a guess....

Personally, I wouldn't disable it. It could save your life someday. LIke any new car/truck, you have to learn how it reacts to certain terrain/conditions. Maybe you just need to baby it a bit to avoid un-necessary ABS engagement? That's a *condition* your truck will have for as long as you own the truck.

Find another dealer...and test drive some new trucks and see how they feel in similar situations (if you can).
Then - if you find a distinct difference between the two, then challenge your dealers to find out WHY.

 

My 08 acts pretty much like the OP's

The first time was right after I took deliver and was approaching the stop sign in my neighborhood that I have lived in for 20 years, never once had a problem stopping there in any previous vehicle no matter what the road conditions were because I always plan my stop long before needed.
Anyway about 2 inches of compacted snow on the road, I was in 4Hi and 2nd gear coasting along doing maybe 8 to 10 MPH when I lightly applied my brakes and the truck just kept the same speed right through the intersection.
It was one of those classic WTF moments

I couldn't believe it and hit reverse and backed up and tried it 2 more times with the exact same results.

You can trick the ABS into normal braking but you need to make your brain work backasswards

When you apply the brakes and realize that you are not slowing down don't listen to your brain that says OH FUCK WE ARE GONNA DIE and try pushing harder on the brakes, this just makes it worse, instead begin pumping your brakes just like you were taught long before any of this ABS bullshit and you will most likely be just fine.

I found with my truck at least that about the third push on the brake pedal they act like normal brakes and then the harder you push the more braking pressure you apply to the wheels.

 

I guess I'm lucky because I have to agree. My ABS brakes don't seem to be overly sensative. I'd have the dealer take a look although I can already hear what they will tell you. "That's the way its supposed to be..."

 

I agree. ABS was designed to give the driver steering control in panic braking situations. It was designed to help prevent the vehicle from spinning out, not to shorten stopping distances. Having said that, it sounds like there may be a problem with the ABS on the Tacoma in slick conditions based on the posters in this thread. I, thankfully, have yet to experience these issues, but that doesn't mean that I won't in the future.

 

I said it once and i'll say it again this is a scary thread.

I've actually come across other threads mentioning the ABS problem.

No one seems to like abs. I've never had ABS. Does anyone think it'll be a problem for me if i purchase a 2010 4x4 dub cab?

Maybe if everyone complains there will be a TSB by the time I purchase mine!

 

I love ABS. I just wish there was a way of turning it off for certain situations.

 

The stability control, abs, traction control is an absolute godsend on these trucks. I remember before cars had ABS, traction control, you were guaranteed to slide into an intersection or off the road at any hint of traction loss.

I took a back road on the way home from work and I was trying to get the truck to not drive straight and it did a heck of a job keeping itself in check.

You want to experience dangerous ABS? Get in an early 1990s general motors vehicle with single channel ABS.

 

It seems like there aren't as many complaints with the '09 and '10 models. But I have seen a few.

 

The people that have the problems seem to be almost ALL MANUAL transmissions.......odd. Any reason for this?