2001 Tahoe ABS Light

My 2001 Tahoe 2WD is showing both the BRAKE and ABS light on but only every so often. Any ideas what this could be? If I turn off the ignition and restart, it goes off.

My 2001 Tahoe 2WD is showing both the BRAKE and ABS light on but only every so often. Any ideas what this could be? If I turn off the ignition and restart, it goes off.


I just took my 2001 Tahoe into the brake shop yesterday because of the same thing. They hooked it up to the computer and determined the problem was a short in the ABS sensor. They called the dealership and they had three in stock since they said this is a common problem. $900.00 for the sensor plus labor to install. The brake shop said this was the third Tahoe in two months with the same exact problem. They said I would have no problem braking until I can get it fixed but that when the light is on the antilock brakes are not working.

I think another recall might be in order.

Carol

I just repaired this problem on my 2001 Yukon,
The problem is very common and will occur eventually
on all 1999 -2004 Chevy GMC vehicles with kelsey hayes EBCM
module. (ABS module) In order to get the ABS pump motor
to turn off simply pull the 60Amp fuse.

you can spend $900.00 to $1000.00 dollars at the dealer to
have it replaced but the BEST option is to have YOUR unit
upgraded and repaired. You can remove the unit from your
vechicle without it impacting your brakes...you simply won't
have the ABS functionality until the unit is reinstalled in
your vehicle.

there are a couple of shops that can perform this procedure, I
used the one located in Idaho.

the removal of the unit is pretty straightforward for those that
work on their vehicles occassionally.

Check out www.modulemaster.com. If you going to attempt to remove the ABS module yourself, you can send it to this company for repair and upgrade for $150.00. If I knew what I know now, it would save me several hundred dollars. I would of removed it and sent it out for repair. A possible recall may be coming, wonder it the dealership will refund what it cost me $775.00 and that was giving me a reduce cost. And the funny thing is that they don't replace the entire unit, just the small electrical pump motor on the unit. Good luck..

Not having ABS isnt a big thing if you drove older cars, its just like that, dont hit the breaks and expect them to not skid until you get it repaired of course.

Thanks for the heads up. This is my second time with the ABS module motor running continuously, even when you turn off the engine. The first time I was able to talk the dealership down from roughly $1,000.00 to repair it to about $450.00. This time, about 2 years later, I went to ebay and found an auction for a rebuild service in West Palm Beach, FL. Total cost was $158.84. It wasn't a big deal to get it off, ship it to Auto and Truck Electronics and then put it back on when I received it back. I just put it back on a little while ago and it seems to be working great. All the lights are now off and the ABS motor is not running anymore. Plus, the rebuild came with a 3 year warranty. This forum saved me some $$$$$. Thanks, Marty

Thanks for the heads up. This is my second time with the ABS module motor running continuously, even when you turn off the engine. The first time I was able to talk the dealership down from roughly $1,000.00 to repair it to about $450.00. This time, about 2 years later, I went to ebay and found an auction for a rebuild service in West Palm Beach, FL. Total cost was $158.84. It wasn't a big deal to get it off, ship it to Auto and Truck Electronics and then put it back on when I received it back. I just put it back on a little while ago and it seems to be working great. All the lights are now off and the ABS motor is not running anymore. Plus, the rebuild came with a 3 year warranty. This forum saved me some $$$$$. Thanks, Marty

Where in West Palm Beach, I am near this area and would like to know for future reference. Thanks.........

2001 Suburban LT - abs & break light intermittently comes on. Replaced all 4 shock absorbers. Problem disappeared. Hope this helps someone from spending over 1000 to turn the lights out. The chevy dealer wanted 1400 dollars. Why can't they diagnose problems like this?

Well, I have an ABS story to tell that has recently occurred. Back in January, I had to replace the parking brake shoes due to a previous owner driving around with her parking brake on. While everything was stripped down, I decided to go ahead and replace the rear brake pads since I have around 110k miles on them. Several months ago my ABS and BRAKE light started coming on intermittently and I would lose ABS function. Additionally, last week, I started hearing one of my squealers on the rear brakes making it's noise so a couple of days ago I decided to pull the rear tires off. The driver's side was fine showing normal wear but the passenger side was completely worn down. Apparently, the caliper somehow got stuck. I went to Advance Auto and talked with the guys about my caliper issue and they suggested flushing the brake lines before replacing the caliper.

To make a longer story somewhat shorter, I bled the caliper that was sticking and a lot of gunk and thick fluid came out. I repeated the process on the driver's side rear with less thickness but not clear. I bled the front which seemed to be fine. New pads are on the back but here is the thing.....NO MORE ABS light. Did I stumble across something?

Just thought I would throw that story out there for someone to think about.

your braking issues are very well known with these vehicles of this period..

the rear calipers over time will have the pistions get bell shaped ..these must be replaced.

the parking brake shoes drag all the time as they move around and wear out even if you never ever use them [LIMITED GM recall on standard shift vehicles ONLY ]...the ABS light coming on is in most cases the Abs MODULE pump relay contacts...

the other problem is leaking brake lines from rusting out ...make sure you check the line along the fuel tank..this is big failure rate...also the lines behind the driver side front wheel tire on the frame rail..

THESE ITEMS I HAVE HAD TO DEAL WITH ..

The rear calipers need be removed and then with your hands push the pistons in and out then you will see what I'm saying..I measured them and confirmed this bell shaping deformation...could be the ABS pulse pressues cause this...therefore do not buy any used/rebuilt calipers...

I got advance auto front and rear rotors ,rear calipers,brake shoes lifetime warrantee.....

I got the park brake shoe kit from auto zone with the new style hold down clips lifetime warrantee..

bought 25 ft of brake line with the double flare tool and a hand full of fittings...

brakes work great now better than 2000 , when I bought this new..

the front calipers pistions are very hard steel they do not have this distortion issue....

WOW! That was a lot to take in at one time. But I appreciate the info none the less. I will continue to monitor the rear calipers. So far, no ABS light since the new rear pads and flushing of the brake fluid. Keeping my fingers crossed.

WOW! That was a lot to take in at one time. But I appreciate the info none the less. I will continue to monitor the rear calipers. So far, no ABS light since the new rear pads and flushing of the brake fluid. Keeping my fingers crossed.


flushing the brake fluid may have reduced the ABS pump starting current,... brake fluid over time absorbs mositure...also most repair shops or owners push back caliper pistons with out opening the bleed screws first. with this condition it pushes the damaged/dirty/contaminated fluid into the braking system...

on high end vehicles the brake fluid has a replacement flushing life...GM does not ...this may explain why these vehicles have these issues...with ABS the brake fluid should have a OEM LIFE standard set..this will ensure that the vehicle will stop when comanded..

If you live where the weather conditions are not cold snowy and roads covered with de icing chemicals some of these issues with the brakes will take longer to develop..most of these in the rust belt are lucky to get 5 yrs of no failures... some have replace the brakes lines twice on a vehicle like yours..

Mine has had the lights on the dash, off and on for the last 5 years... so one time a few years ago I thought I would take the module off and send it to the company for a rebuild... after over an hour of trying to get a torx bit up between the module and the underside of the Tahoe, I gave up. :runaround: How the heck did you guys remove it? there is less than a half inch to work with on top and the ones on the back side are even worse. What tool can do this job?

I have worked on my own cars for over 30 years... so figuring this stuff out has never been an issue... until now.:confused:

thx

Ramsair, I used a 1/4 inch ratchet with hex socket. Had to feel around for bolts on back side. Surprisingly came out very easy. I used module Masters, turn around time was fairly fast. I reinstalled two weeks ago so far no light. you can also find instructions on mudule masters website. hope this helps. (2001 Tahoe 4wd)

Pretty sure that is what I was using too... it actually kind of started to strip the first one ~ mine must be on tighter. For now I think I will just leave it alone, if it were to stay on all the time I will give it another go. What is super strange is it comes on more in the Phoenix heat (summers) - when winter hits or I am in the cooler areas like Pinetop or Flagstaff, it rarely comes on.

This definately should have be a recall item. Thanks GM :jerking:

Do the Tahoes from this era generally have the Kelsey Hayes 325 module? That seems to be the only module that module master will repair....

Yes, it's a Kelsy Hayes. Sounds like it may be going bad, more often there is no warning. You turn the motor off and the ABS motor continues to run. That when you have to pull the ABS 60 amp fuse under the hood on driver side behind the windshield washer reservoir. There may be other re-builders. I have used BBA-reman.com. Great company, Takes about two days for them to repair it, mailing is the longest there and back. You may consider two day shipping. It's a pain removing the top portion off the ABS motor, tight space. Life-time guarantee I think. Talk to the company, they will walk you through it. You can drive the vehicle without the ABS module while out for repair. Just have to wrap a plastic bag over the unit and duct tape.I used them twice with great results.Good luck

Sorry to dredge up an old thread, is there a way to diagnose this issue? I have heard in some areas that this can be caused by faulty hubs (an expensive and lengthy repair), the module, and now, after reading this thread, brake pads, fluid, or which way a butterfly flaps its wings...

I imagine the answer to my question is no due to the myriad of solutions that seem to be appearing. Didn't think about a fluid flush/brake bleed at all, though it is certainly a good maintanence item I have been ignoring anyway....

I have a 2001 silverado and this has basically become an issue on every drive. I just hate the lights there, so would like to fix the issue. I jacked up the truck and did the shake test on the wheels, hubs still felt tight and good, don't think I want to replace them if I don't have to...

Thank you!

Sorry to dredge up an old thread, is there a way to diagnose this issue? I have heard in some areas that this can be caused by faulty hubs (an expensive and lengthy repair), the module, and now, after reading this thread, brake pads, fluid, or which way a butterfly flaps its wings...

I imagine the answer to my question is no due to the myriad of solutions that seem to be appearing. Didn't think about a fluid flush/brake bleed at all, though it is certainly a good maintanence item I have been ignoring anyway....

I have a 2001 silverado and this has basically become an issue on every drive. I just hate the lights there, so would like to fix the issue. I jacked up the truck and did the shake test on the wheels, hubs still felt tight and good, don't think I want to replace them if I don't have to...

Thank you!

Murph: The ABS lite comes on for a reason. You need to get it on an ABS capable scan tool and post back the code numbers. Most independent jobbers will charge you $30-35 for this service.

If you read thru the posts on these forums that I have explained on this issue tests can be done to determine what the failure is.

since you have an ABS light always on , and the brakes work properly since you did not mention any braking issues, I also recommend a scan for the ABS codes with the ABS capabile scanner.

with that info then you can get answers as to what the problem is..the hubs are not too expensive. what is expensive would be the electronic brake control unit. though this can be repaired thru the internet. most times the relay is burned out on these units.

you could remove and clean the ground point of the ABS contol unit on the frame rail under the driver seat which is next to the abs controller. a bad corroded ground could cause this ..

when you start the vehicle lots of tests are commanded by the computer. if there is any malfunction the failure lights light up !

Hi guys,

Thanks a ton for the direction! Do you have to be at the code reader when the lights are on or do they store the codes in the computer and they can be recovered?

I am thinking that a brake bleed is in order anyway to get some fresh fluid and make sure the calipers aren't filled with gunk...

I will check the ground underneath the frame as that is incredibly simple to take a look at.

Thank you!

Who ever reads the codes needs to look at "active or current" DTC's if the light is on.

That said, they also need to look at "history" DTC's regardless if the ABS lite is on or off. Yes, the codes are stored in the VCM for a certain length of time.

Remember that code numbers are essential to us being able to help with this issue. (P####, C####, etc)

Hi guys,

Thanks a ton for the direction! Do you have to be at the code reader when the lights are on or do they store the codes in the computer and they can be recovered?

I am thinking that a brake bleed is in order anyway to get some fresh fluid and make sure the calipers aren't filled with gunk...

I will check the ground underneath the frame as that is incredibly simple to take a look at.

Thank you!

you just have an ABS light issue correct ?

I recently had the same issue with my ABS i went to start my truck and noticed something running and my ABS and brake light lite up on dash. I pulled my 60 amp fuse the noise stopped the issue im having now is I have running brake lights but i need to mash the brake pedal to the floor as hard as I can for my brake lights to actually signal and when they do they sort of flicker. Any ideas here? Not really looking to spend 1000.00 on a vehicle with 200k

First off, sounds like you need to have the ABS module rebuilt. I have used this company twice with my Tahoe, bba-reman.com, good company, use to be lifetime warranty on rebuilt. Your ABS module is located underneath on drivers side. Just need to disconnect wiring harness and unscrew the four screws. Box it and ship it to them. Go on their website and it will instruct you how. Some difficulty getting the screws out, mostly feeling by hand but can be done. I used a large plastic food bag and duct tape to cover the body and electrical harness from dirt and water. Braking should not be a problem, maybe a little harder. As far as your braking lights, I am not sure that brake lights are affected by the ABS module. That may be a problem with the brake light switch above your brake petal. I never had a issue with my brake lights when my ABS module went bad.

I recently had the same issue with my ABS i went to start my truck and noticed something running and my ABS and brake light lite up on dash. I pulled my 60 amp fuse the noise stopped the issue im having now is I have running brake lights but i need to mash the brake pedal to the floor as hard as I can for my brake lights to actually signal and when they do they sort of flicker. Any ideas here? Not really looking to spend 1000.00 on a vehicle with 200k

the ABS pump motor running means that the pump relay is bad this will require the removal of this which is on top of the ABS valve brake fluid filled body. these can be purchased new for a few hundred at the auto stores. removal can be hard because GM used defective screws you will need to replace these since they are pretty rusted out to remove you must lift up only then take it out because there is solenoids that stick up ..

removal of the brake lines will be a nasty tough job MARK !!!! lines first if you try that ..

just replace the brake pedal switch so your brake lights work normally 200K is about when this is worn out.