2003 4runner traction Control coming on

C

ChapCin

New member
OK i have a 03 4runner (190K miles) and from time to time the traction control is coming on when i am driving. I am not slipping and it is doing it on 100% dry pavement. In fact this is also happening when stopped. I get the light flashing on the dash (beeping) and the pedal start pulsing. It generally lasts only a few seconds but it is very unsettling and my wife and young child are primarily in the car.
After it goes away there are no lights on the dash that stay on.
I am wondering what it could be. I do not have a lot of money for diagnostic work (or repairs for that matter). Would it be worth buying a used ABS computer off of ebay for $160 to see if that is the issue?
If anyone has any advice i would appreciate it.
thank you
 
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ChapCin said:
Would it be worth buying a used ABS computer off of ebay for $160 to see if that is the issue?
thank you
Click to expand...

Probably not, unless you eliminate other possibilities.

It could be a bad ABS sensor on one of the wheels. Or maybe one of the tires is mismatched and causing it not to rotate at the same speed. That could happen if the tire pressure is not uniform on all wheels, or if one of the tires has a different amount of wear or is a different brand. It could also be that the zero point setting is wrong, so the car thinks it's rotating when it's not (or something like that).

Can you tell what it's trying to do? For example, is it applying brakes to one or more wheels? If it brakes one wheel the car might pull to one direction. Does it cut the throttle (maybe it thinks a wheel is slipping)? Is there anything you can do to cause it to happen?
 
It is very hard to tell what is going on. It only lasts for a sec or so. One time it did it with the car stopped.
From the 2 times it has happened you feel the brakes pulsing and there is a loss of power. I can not tell much else.
are there any diagnostic tools i can use to help me figure out what is going on?
larry
 
Sorry just talked to my wife again and got clarification.
It has ONLY happened when stopped with the foot on the break.
not when the car was moving.
larry
 
Try checking out the switch behind the brake pedal

Had same problem last year, 2003 V8 Limited. Checked the switch out and it was making connections when it wasn't suppose to. Got new switch from the dealer, problem solved.
 
Slobo said:
Had same problem last year, 2003 V8 Limited. Checked the switch out and it was making connections when it wasn't suppose to. Got new switch from the dealer, problem solved.
Click to expand...

Looks like this
beck_arnley_brake_light_switch.jpg
 
Gotta get on your back and look up under the brake pedal. Mine was white with the brownish plastic mounting bolt. I think the problem is that the brake switch fails and it tells the computer you are pressing the brake when you really aren't.
I'm not really sure what the deal is but I checked mine with a continuity tester and the connections inside it were acting really erratic. My brake lights sometimes wouldn't work and then work by themselves. Got a stealer part for cheap and tested it and the electrical connections were strong and constant. I think the brake switch is really cheaply made and they seem to fail after 100,000.
 
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