Trac light problem/ ABS issue

Hey everyone — first thread here. I recently bought a Tacoma — something I’ve been saving for over a couple years. Got a good deal on it and was so excited to finally have it. But almost right away, problems started showing up.


While driving, I noticed that the TRAC light would flash briefly — usually twice, then go off. It didn’t seem to affect how the truck drove at first, so I kept going about my days. I live in South Florida, so the roads are flat and straight — nothing crazy with turns, so it felt weird that the traction control was even engaging.


For context, the truck was in a previous accident before I got it — it was reported as minor and all repairs were done. Nothing looked or felt off at first, so I assumed it was solid.


Then one day, everything locked up while braking — the TRAC light went solid, the ABS light came on, and I had to use the handbrake just to stop safely. That’s when I knew something was seriously wrong.


I brought it into the shop. They did an inspection, replaced a few things, realigned and recalibrated the system, and gave it back. But the issue came back again.


So I took it back and they replaced the entire ABS actuator. They also drove it themselves for a while and didn’t experience any issues. I finally got it back, and literally on my way to work, it happened again — no acceleration past 11 mph, brakes acting up again, and had to handbrake it a second time.


After letting it sit for a while, I was able to drive it back to the shop, and of course, it worked fine that entire drive. I told them to keep the truck until they could reproduce the issue themselves — and finally, they did.


At that point, they inspected the ground wires and found multiple that were loose or corroded. They cleaned and fixed everything up. After two weeks in the shop, I finally got it back.


Now the TRAC light still blinks occasionally, but the severe issues haven’t come back — yet. Still, I feel super anxious driving it. It’s like I’m waiting for something to go wrong again. This was my first big purchase after saving for years, and I just want my Tacoma to drive safe and reliably.


My mechanic has been a blessing through all of this. He’s been doing everything he can to help me make this right, and I really appreciate him.


Just wondering if anyone else has dealt with something like this, or if anyone has any ideas on what else I should be watching for? Appreciate any input — I just want peace of mind again when I drive.

 

Could be many things. TRAC and ABS is most likely a wheel speed sensor that is intermittently losing continuity. Does it happen while turning? Accelerating? Stopping? You could wiggle each wheel speed wire independently while someone is in the cab looking for any lights.

That should never cause the brakes to lock up on their own though. When you say "everything locked up" but had to use the E-Brake to stop, what do you mean??

 

Thank you — the blinking TRAC light usually happens when I’m turning. The bigger issue is when the brakes lock up and the pedal goes stiff with no pressure, forcing me to use the e-brake to stop safely. That usually happens when I’m coming to a stop. The most recent time, it also wouldn’t accelerate past 11 mph afterward. There are no codes or warning messages when it happens — just the TRAC light flashing and the ABS light turning on. It seems to happen randomly, which makes it really hard to catch.

 

Does it happen more when it's wet/raining or when really dry?

 

If turning from a stop, that is pretty normal in these trucks as it detects the outside rear tire spinning faster than the inside and sometimes the TRAC light will blink a couple times and power can be reduced.

 

Happened the first time when it was raining. But the other times it was dry out.

 

I’ve heard that as well, which is why I figured the quick TRAC blink was normal. I’ve experienced that a few times, but it’s also been happening while going around turns on main roads — not just from a stop. It’s just been a weird issue overall, and I’m trying to figure out what’s really going on.

 

Is your steering wheel straight when driving in a straight line?
If it is have they done a zero point calibration on the system?

 

They have done a zero point calibration on the system. I just got it back today and it’s driving good now. So I’m wondering if the ground wires were just super messed up before and that is what they had to go in and fix. I’m praying I don’t see the same problem anymore. Just seeing the trac light blink even when it’s nothing has filled me with anxiety now because of the reason that Jen it blinked before that’s when the problem arose.

 

The stability system kicking in when it isn't supposed to on slight curves is relatively common at least on 2nd gens especially if they are lifted/have oversized tires/wheels, not sure how well the 3rd gen system does with it as I don't hang out in the 3rd gen section alot.

A zero point calibration fixes alot of them.

The ABS kicking in on a stop when it shouldn't I believe is a separate issue, that's typically a wheel speed sensor that is dropping out/going to 0 before the rest so the ABS thinks the wheel is locking up.
Usually that can be diagnosed pretty quickly with a scan tool graphing the wheel speed sensors.