Hi, I have 45,000 miles on my 2008 FEH. A couple days ago, the ABS light comes on. The dealer had to replace the LF tone ring. Fortunately, I had the extended warranty so I was only out the $50 deductable. Is this a common problem?

 

What would the work have cost without the extended warranty?

 

This might be a stupid question but did the light "come on" steady and hold or did it flicker on and off?

 

The ABS light would come on after driving for about 5 minutes, it did not flicker, it stayed on till I turned the ignition off.

 

I didn't get an exact number, the mechanic said it would be about $200, but he said my cost would be $50 due to the extended warranty. The only part replaced was the tone ring, he showed me the cracked part.

 

OK, I'll ask. What the heck is a "tone ring"?

 

It is a small disc, maybe 4" in diameter. It has teeth (like a gear) . It mounts on the axle and there is a sensor that is mounted near the teeth, which "sees" how fast each wheel is turning by counting the teeth. The ABS system gets this data from each wheel and in a braking situation it decides which how much braking each wheel will get.(This is probably a very oversimplified explaination- any experts out there are free to discredit this)

 

This is not from a FEH but it's similar to how one looks:

 

Yes, yes, yes....this *is* a common problem, and not just on an FEH. I had a 2002 gasoline Escape, & it drove my mechanic nuts (mee, too), until he found the cracked ring. It's a while positionn-sensor that feeds data to the ABS, & under the right conditions of stopping and turning, the ABS would suddenly activate and cause the brakes to suddenly apply. The ring is cast iron, & when the shaft it's installed on rusts just a bit and expands, the ring can crack...the crack is difficult to see at times, too, making good quick diagnosis difficult. Now, my mechanic checks these rings a lot, and has found them in makes other than Ford. Seems the same supplier makes them for multiple brands.

Gary

 

fordparts.com lists for a 2005

ABS rings front $37.31/ rear $45.
Sensors $70.94 to $79.78

Must be some work to replace.