ABS on this truck is dangerous...

I have General Grabbers. They aren't off road tires, but they're much better than the original Dunlops. I just got them in July too, they only have maybe 5000 miles on them.

 

Yep, I was going to sell my Tacoma with all the problems im having. The problem is they just cant fix anything so Im keeping it.
My 08 TRD 2 has 33,000 miles the Rugged Trails are warn and my ABS kicks in a lot. Last winter only a few times. Im going with some TA ko's.
Now if they can only get the blower motor fixed (after 4 trys and a they put in a new one in last time). I'v given up

 

I feel for the OP, I had a 2005 and at the time lived on a step paved curved road with ditches and trees on both sides. I about crapped my pants everytime I went down the road because the second I hit my breaks the ABS would kick in and I would begin to excelerate to the intersection at the bottom. I finally learned to keep it in 4Lo, 1st gear and let it engine break on the way down and apply such little pressure the ABS would not engage.

If I did not have ABS I could have easily controlled the vehical on the way down as I was never going to fast for conditions. I know people will say that I was, but they were not behind the wheel. I've been drving 2WD light trucks my entire life in snow and drive for the conditions.

Bottom line is the ABS should NOT engage under 5-10MPH. I actually do love this ABS because it did stop me on a dime on dry pavement when I was doing 50MPH and had a deer jump out in front of me. ABS engaged, and I stayed in control the whole time and stopped FAST, just not on packed snow/ice.

I now have a 2008 and no longer live on a step hill, so I'm not having as many issues, but I know now to plan on stopping 20ft before any stop signs in snow and idle to the stop sign.

 

Don't you have to go adjust/lube your jackstands??

 

to put is simply:
if the abs kicks in, it ment that your wheels stopped turning weather you knew it or not. just because you were going slow doesnt mean anything. and if your wheels stopped turning while you where going down hill and the abs kicked in, you weren't going to stop anyways.
get some good tires and the abs may not have to kick in as often

 

OK, so let's look at my other example. Are you telling me three of my wheels were locked up on dry pavement at a speed slower than 1st gear at idle?

 

Why are you still here?

Stop posting about how bad your ABS is and get your ass to the dealer and tell them about it. If it's doing everything you say it is...there's something wrong with it.

Mine works fine and rarely ever engages. Sorry, a bit on edge these days.

 

I started the thread to discuss the option of disabling and hear stories of what others have done, because I know I'm not the only one with this problem.

I'm going to be here to defend myself when I'm accused of being ridiculously incompetent. I'll be the first to admit when I don't know something or if a problem could be my fault. This is not one of those times.

 

The option of disabling the abs is never a good one. with the snow we have been having here in buffalo i have been activating mine daily, sometimes on purpose. And even with the abs activating, it should not cause you any additional danger. i think what everyone is saying if it is you may have a problem and should get it checked.

 

Well on the plus side, I guess Toyota did figure it out and fix it in the newer models at least. Seems like the owners of more recent year trucks think theirs works fine, and the owners who say they have the same problem mostly seem to have 05-07.

 

For serious off roading the abs is probably not useful.
But we are talking about pulling out of parking lots and such here, more nasty weather street driving, and yes the abs is benificial.

 

i can see you point on the serious off-roading, is it me?, the truck? or the mud? hahaha

 

I have also found the ABS sensitive on ice. But after avoiding colliding with a white tail deer on a gravel road the other evening, I'm not going to complain about how well they work.
It was getting dark and with me at about 50MPH the deer jumped from the shoulder heading in a path that would have resulted in a sure collision. I hit the brakes hard and instantly the tires wanted to skid on the gravel - BUT - already the ABS had kicked in. A few grunts and hums from the wheels adjusting to the changing traction and I came to a full stop, WELL clear of the fleeing animal and sitting straight and centered on the road. I'm astonished at how quick and in control the emergency stop was. Good job ABS!!
In this situation I had no time to "think" about how best to apply the brakes. The ABS did the thinking for me, thankfully. I'm getting used to how it handles on surfaces like black ice and am fine with a design that handles some surfaces better than others.
Maybe some Toyota designer can come up with a little "adaptive intelligence" for the ABS...

N.

 

Maybe those with all the VSC and stuff have better luck with the ABS, I don't have it on my 05 or my 08, seems if one wheel loses traction they all kick in with the ABS causing the vehical to speed up down the hill. Perhaps this is not the case with VSC and the traction control options.

ABS is good...Not saying I think I can stop better without it in 95% of the cases, but at SLOW SLOW Speeds, ie under 5MPH on slick conditions down hill, I KNOW with the tires LOCKED I would stop faster. I will still slide but when the ABS kicks in it speeds up, if the tires locked they ATs would dig into the packed snow stopping me faster.

 

lol

 

I can confirm that ABS in sand sucks. When off-roading on trails that are comprised of sand and I need to stop quickly... ABS makes the distance I need much longer than is necessary. I am going to investigate the ABS disable switch mod for the '09s.

 

X2 What are you waiting for?

 

This thread kind of scares me! I am about to purchase a Dub Cab Tacoma!!!!!! I may not after reading this! j/k it does worry me though. I want to go to the snow!