[crescentcitycommander]

Hi,
every time I go on sand and brake so that my ABS activates, my brakes fail. The pedal goes soft and I have to push the pedal all the way down for the brakes to activate. Sometimes they also fail when I hit a hard bump like rail road tracks. I get the brakes back by stopping the car and pumping them for about twenty times...Has anybody had the same problem? I have a 2006 V8 commander 118K.
Kristian:stickpoke:

 

[SAL-XK]

You have serious issues there bro and based on your post I think you should bring it in and have it fixed. Any mechanic or mechanically inclined person would not have driven that jeep at least after the second time it happened. Stop messing around with it you're loosing pressure or you're driving so crazy that the system is overriding you and trying to solve the problem. Either way bro get it inspected you're messing with your life and the lives of other people on the road with you.

 

[crescentcitycommander]

I'm actually doing normal driving... Brakes are fine until ABS activates that is not very often. Otherwise brakes work great... Is it maybe the ABS pump that is failing?
Kristian

 

[SAL-XK]

Normal driving or not and I'm sorry if I came across harsh I just read my post. Brake failure in any form is serious. I think I've set my ABS off like once in the snow and the pedal will go down to the floor at that point and depending on what the situation is it can also feel like your not slowing down at all but the system is working fine. The only thing you said that made me think it wasn't acting normal was after the ABS is done you still have no brake pedal of stopping power. The pedal pressure and brakes should return to normal immediately after the ABS is done. Check you brake fluid level and if that is in normal operating range I would bring it in. It could be something as simple as a wheel speed sensor going bad. It could be a bad master cylinder the fluid could be bad who knows. I normally don't tell people to just bring it in but while your fishing around for the problem disaster is only a panic stop away. Have you noticed any fluid leaks and codes or warnings in the computer system? What were the conditions of these failures snow mud rain wet leaves? how fast were you going? Maybe we can isolate a part make sure you don't get ripped off.

 

[crescentcitycommander]

Thank you for the reply. I have not had any fluid level warning signs. The only time it happens if I'm driving slow on sand or hit a really big bump at slow speed.. The brakes still work but barely after that. It happens very seldom.
Kristian

 

[Mongo]

You have checked your brake fluid level at the reservour, NOT look for an idiot light, and it is above the fill line, correct? Have you've done the key dance and looked for any stored fault codes that read out in the EVIC?

You're being a little confusing in your terms, if your brakes fail after the ABS activates, how do you stop the vehicle? If they have failed, how can you get them back and keep driving?

From what I read, you loose significant brake pressure and control (or all of it?) after the ABS activates. Pumping the pedal many times builds back up brake pressure and returns full control, until the next time ABS activates?

Like SAL is saying, this is NOT a safe condition to be driving the vehicle, when you need the brakes the most is likely when the ABS will activate and result in you loosing them.

The ABS module has a Pump, an electric motor, a valve body and an electronic control unit to control it. Anything in that unit could be bad and causing this.

My wild guess in the dark, you've got a valve in the ABS module sticking. Probably will require replacing the ABS module to fix it, which requires proprietary scan tools to bleed the module. So, like SAL is saying, you've got to take it in to get it fixed.

Even if you can't get fault codes to read out, you may still have them stored in the ABS computers. Chrysler, like all the other manufacturers keeps most of the electronics proprietary and only reads outs codes required by Federal Law, so you may need an expensive and/or proprietary scan tool to scan the ABS computers and get the stored fault codes. Most independent shops will have a tool capabel of reading ABS, if they do NOT have the dealer proprietary tool, you probably are NOT stuck going to the dealer to fix this.

It is possible you have a brake leak, and are low on brake fluid. If all the brake fluid is gone on one side of the reservour, that is the tell tale sign of a brake leak, it doesn't run out, unless you have a leak, and sucking air into the master cylinder will do what you describe. Inspect the brake and lines and look for evidence of leaks and moisture that is brake fluid. Clean it all thoroughly and go back and check for fresh leaks. If you have a leaking hose, you may be able to replace it and bleed it yourself and the ABS NOT need bleeding.

 

[Kansas1230]

I second the move to have your truck looked at by a reputable mechanic. I had a wheel speed sensor wire go loose on my Pontiac and everything worked fine until randomly it would tell the computer the wheel was slipping and there would be no brakes. If you don't want to take it to a shop, at least pull the ABS fuse so that your truck knows it has a problem and won't just freak out erratically.