1993-VG30E-GXE

Curious if anyone has ever heard of a freak accident where someones ABS system deployed on the highway for no reason?

I saw an airbag suddenly blow in a girls face last summer, while she was in the parking lot sitting in her car. As soon as it blew it looked like dust or powder came out....

maxinout93

U mean The SRS System. Supplement Restraint System. That is the airbag system. The ABS has to do with the brakes. Anti- Lock Brakes.

JonBlz

iTrader: (11)

the powder that comes out is gun powder

Niccos89

iTrader: (2)

Dozens of times.
SRS's have their own power, so they can deploy if the battery is killed in a crash, they can deploy even without a key in the ignition. I've seen and heard of alot going off as soon as the key turned to on, not many stories of once the car was moving though.
I dont think us 3rd Gen owner's have much to worry about - old school ABS is much safer than the newer systems that break your nose and leave you looking like a bowl of half eaten cereal (unless at high speed impact)

nismax1994

Well I've lightly rear-ended another car on at least 3 different occasions and my airbag did not deploy. Thats the good thing about the old airbags, they don't come out for minor collisions.

BenStoked

iTrader: (7)

I have ABS, and it has saved my *** (and my car) a couple of times. the only way ABS can be dangerous is if you do not maintain your car, though, but no more if you don't have abs.

now, SRS, on the other hand, can possibly be dangerous. as many lives as it has saved and serious injuries it has prevented, people still have stories of them going off unexpectedly, or injuring people in low speed crashes. same with seatbelts. I hear stories of crashes where a person was killed by the seatbelt, and possibly would have survived if they had not been wearing one.

1993-VG30E-GXE

Interesting. Although they are not common incidents, I guess we weigh the risk over the benefit - and in a bad accident the air bag would more likely benefit more than the risk of it deploying in the freak incident.

But yes, I originally meant to say ABS brakes in my post. If the brakes suddenly have ever turned on unexpectedly and make that grinding noise on the highway....the kind you get when you try to stop in snow quickly.

Hectic

iTrader: (20)

I've never been a fan of ABS, i've had a couple close encounters because ABS enabled when I was coming to a normal stop. I'm glad that my 91 does not have it, nor does it have an airbag. Failing to locate the frickin horn button on airbag equipped 3rd gens might just be the cause of an accident resulting in deployment. Kind of counterproductive if you ask me. Plus, turning an 3rd gen airbag wheel is lame, your fingers get all stuck in the cruise buttons and you honk the stupid horn buttons when turning corners. VG SE wheels are what it's about.

modenaf1

iTrader: (3)

I have heard of some freak malfunctions back in the early 90's where in a panic stop the ABS motor locked whatever solenoids it is supposed to be cycling and it basically canceled all braking force completely.

As far as it turning on and actuating the brakes, it isn't possible. In most setups the ABS can only reduce brake pressure.

On vehicles with traction control it can apply the brakes so I suppose in that case it is possible for it to hit the brakes unexpectedly on a wheel.


As far as safety of ABS in general when it is working as it should, for the most part, especially for inexperienced drivers it does much more good than bad. However, overly aggressive ABS systems can dramatically increase stopping distances on loose surfaces such as deep snow or gravel/sand. In many of those situations a locked wheel can actually stop faster than one at incipient lockup, unlike on dry or wet pavement. Some systems tend to still run the ABS motor some even if you let off the pedal or have come to a complete stop.

Just messing around in the sand I was driving a Subaru and gradually applied more and more brake pressure till the ABS came on, when it came on the car's rate of deceleration was greatly reduced and when I went to let off briefly to get the ABS to turn off so I could resume braking at a force not enough to relock a tire and invoke ABS, but harder than what ABS was limiting it to, it didn't work because the ABS motor kept cycling even during the brief period I let completely off the brakes.

So, for the most part, ABS is good, but it can almost eliminate braking ability completely on very loose surfaces. A lot of newer vehicles have ABS systems to compensate for this. I remember seeing something about some SUV's, namely the Touareg having a "gravel intelligence" or whatever built into the abs.