2006 Sonata - ABS warning light on

We have a 2006 Sonata with about 35,000 miles on it. We purchased it used
about 6 months ago from a Hyundai dealer. The car had been a lease that had
been turned in, and the dealer did all the 30K checks & maintenance. (We've
used the dealer for several years, so I trust them). We've not had any
problems with the car since we got it.
Yesterday, when I was driving, the "ABS" and the "ESC Off" lights came on
and stayed on. The car handled OK, no other problems, so since I was about
5 minutes from home, I just came home and parked.

After I turned the car off, I restarted it. After restarting the car, the
ABS and ESC lights did NOT come back on (other than the few seconds on start
up).

I'm planning on calling the dealership Monday to get the car checked out,
but until they can get me in, how much risk to my safety, or damage to the
car (if any) am I taking in continuing to drive it? According to the
manual, the ABS warning light means that the ABS system should be checked
"as soon as possible, but it won't affect the normal operation of the
braking system" From that, it sounds like it's not a problem to continue
driving if necessary (unless I get into a situation where the ABS is needed)

Also, assuming the light doesn't come back on the next time I drive it,
should I still take it in? I realize it probably stores the error codes,
but if it's not triggering the warning light, do I need to worry about it?

If there is a problem with the ABS system, would it be covered under the
factory warranty? It's still within the initial 5 years.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Mike O'Donnell

 

"Mike O." <> ha scritto nel messaggio

had the same problem with my former Sonata, may be you parked the car near
some electromagnetic device that disturbed the ABS sensors.
If light does not come on again, don't be too worried.

- Zotto

 

The system is designed so that normal braking is not affected, only the
anti-lock portion if it would be needed, say if we had a snow storm tonight
and slippery roads in the morning.

Since the lights did not come back on, the dealer may not be able to find
anything, unless the computer shows a problem in the memory. FWIW, the ABS
and ESC use the same wheel sensors and computer so if one light comes on,
chances are the other will also. As for visiting the dealer, why not? I
think it should still be under warranty so to have them check sensors or
connectors can be a good thing. Peace of mind if nothing else, but
meantime, continue driving.

 

I did some general internet searching and saw some comments that sometimes
brake dust, debris, etc. can interfere with the wheel sensors and cause the
computer to report an error. I drove it several times yesterday running
various errands, and it never came back on, so it does look like it was just
a random event.

I'll still probably call the dealer tomorrow and see what they say, but at
least I feel better about it now..

 

Number one problem -- defective brake lamp switch -- either an open
circuit or plunger stuck in. If it was hot that day, my vote is for
plunger stuck in.

Hyundai has a TSB stating this is most frequently an adjustment issue
(BS). According to NHTSA, this brake lamp switch is to be recalled.
Hmmm.

 

Well, I guess I'll be calling the dealer tomorrow, it just came on again
this evening. I was on my way home, and after I pulled in the driveway and
turned off the car, I restarted it and the light was out (after the normal
startup delay).

The odd thing is that when it came on, it was just out of nowhere; I wasn't
braking or anything, just driving.

Even if it's not covered as part of the TSB, would it still be covered by
the 5 year warranty?

 

I ended up not calling the dealer, and the problem seemed to go away.
However, the light just came back on.

Hyundaitech, you mention about a TSB for this. I checked the HMAService
and can't seem to find anything. Do you have any info on the specific TSB
number for that? I thought that if I talk to the dealer and give the
specific number, it might help.

Thanks in advance.

Mike O.
The problem went away, and I ended up

 

Fwiw, I have the same year/model Sonata with similar miles on it and
my ESC warning light began coming on starting about a month ago. It
always went away after a restart but started happening more and more.
I was also getting a burst of static on AM radio stations any time I
pressed the brake pedal.

Had it checked at my last oil change a week ago. The dealer found a
trouble code C1513 in the computer -which they said meant "brake
switch internal fault"- and replaced the switch with part
93810-3K000.

I have not had any ESC warning lights since then. Not sure if the AM
radio static is still there.

Anyway, the dealer told me the recall had not yet started but the
switch would be the recall item. They replaced it now under warranty
because it was an active problem, and they expected to have to replace
it again under the recall to stay in NHTSA compliance. Seems wasteful
to me if one replacement fixes it but whatever. It seems to have
fixed things for me.

YMMV and all that.

 

Thanks for the info.

I did some more searching on HMAService and found TSB 06-50-006, "Stop Lamp
Switch Adjustments" that seems like the one HyundaiTech mentioned. It
describes the adjustment procedures to resolve "the PO504 and C1513 codes".

I'm definately going to give the dealer a call on Monday.

Thanks again.
Mike O.