Lost control but no indicators

This morning it was very cold out, so cold that my truck had a shit load of ice on it. So i was on my way to school taking my normal route, and along the way i saw some ice patches in the road so i knew that i had to be careful. So i was on this 3 lane street, 2 driving lanes and an open median on a gravel road. I was about to be in stop and go traffic so i was slowing down already cause i was getting close to the traffic. So as i am looking ahead down the road i see a big patch of ice close to the same length as my truck and wider then my truck in my lane. so i prepare for the ice cause i knew i was gonna coast over it, but instead all traffic came to a hault and the camry in front of me decide to leave about a car and a half space between him and the car infront of him. I thought i was going to be able to stop when im past the ice. So when i see that im gone land right in the ice going about 15-18 mph, i immediatly slamed on the brakes so i can stop before the ice because camry's bumper was just past the ice. So im locking up my brakes but its too late, hit the ice and my brake pedal locked itself and i was heading straight for the camry's bumper and i did not want to get into an accident. My back end was starting to drift and thats when i made my decision to turn the wheel as fast as i can to the left and let go of the brakes and when i did that i was able to get my front wheels traction thank GOD. So im still on the ice except for the front wheels and just when it was over the traffic started moving again, so i hit the gas ever so lightly and all i get is complete wheel spin which is expected on ice, so here i am trying to get going and when i did hit some gravel with the back tires i shot forward and i was over the ice.

I know this is a long story but i had to tell some one so i can ask these question, does tacomas have ABS braking and traction control because so indicator on my guages lite up or anything and did i do the right thing doing what i did?
It was a scary situation because this was the first time that has ever happened to me and i know all of y'all have expirienced ice before even just once and some are use to it.

 

they all have ABS, some have traction control. the ABS always kicks on in mine and i hear a kind of electric motor/servo sound when it does bit no light i dont think

 

Its weird though, when i hit the ice my brake pedal wouldnt move, i could not push it down at all, is that because of the abs or because my wheels locked up?

 

my 09 has all that on it standard but part of it I think was an option prior to 09 but not completely sure on that. Glad you were able to avoid a collision!

 

yeah me to, do u think the traction control would have helped with braking?

 

I think for a 1st time experience, you reacted well. You were aware of your surroundings and made the necessary decisions to avoid a collision and you did it within fractions of a second.

 

Thanks Toy4Life, i just hope i wont have to go thru that stuff again

 

FWIW, no matter how many times you experience it, it's always a little scary.

 

When the abs kicks in it seems like your brake pedal is not working anymore since it feels like it's backing up on you as your pushing it down. Takes awhile to get used to. Mine kicks in too fast in some instances than I think it should.

 

Traction control has nothing to do with braking.

 

Yeah it scared me alot

I thought i have heard it kick in when i have stop quickly but i always was not sure if it was the trasmission downshifting fast or abs but now i know

oh okay

 

anyone who didn't hit anything did the right thing lol

but yeah my 09 has vsc and it blinks and beep when it kicks in...not sure if it would have completly saved me in your situation but it would have helped id say... i find abs dont help me stop quicker... it helps me steer while i'm stopping

 

Once i found that my brake pedal wouldnt move i said F#%k it an let of the breaks and jerked the wheel as hard as i can to the left, cause i thought about and knew that turning the wheel while the tires are locked would be useless

 

with abs the tires dont lock.. thats the point of it..

 

huh, oh wait i think i still was jamming the brakes when i turned, cant remeber cause i happened so fast, but whatever the truck did worked out nicely

 

and thats exactly it... it happens so fast abs does the quck thinking...along with your quick thinking.. you dind't hit anything.. key is.. drive slower then slow lol

 

I hear ya man!

 

i thought that when the abs kick in, you are not supposed to take your foot off the brake, you just need to steer..... abs prevents the wheels from jamming so you have better control while stopping/steering

good thing you came out with no problems

 

Thanks ed, like i said it happened so fast that i cant remember what i was doing to the brake lol

 

yeah when the abs kicks in, you'll hear/feel it but continue to keep the pedal mashed down and do whatever else you must to avoid a wreck! happens daily in WI i think i had the abs kick in 10 times on my way home from work this evening. there are never any dash lights or anything (unless there is a problem or you have the new fangled stuff on the 09s)