Hello, my 96 has ABS, the light comes on at startup but not at any other time. The brakes lock up way too easily like every time the pavement is damp, that is why I wondered. The front tires have maybe 2,000 miles on them so they are nowhere near bald, they are all season, backs are mud and snow.

 

If you have ABS your wheels shouldn't be locking up. ABS Prevents the lock up. Have you had your brakes done recently? Maybe theres some grease or oil on the pads causing the brakes to grab.

 

Same ones that came with the car when in bought it in July. No squeaking or grinding so figured they were okay. Will take a look.

 

from what i've experienced the abs only kicks on if you slam on the brakes at short stops and are on dry pavement. wet is kinda tricky and sometimes fools the brakes and not kicking abs on. trust me, i"ve wondered if my 95 still worked and came to find out it did when the car "shuddered" to a stop saving my a$$.

 

Ran up a curb, not sure about the a but have a good idea what the BS means

 

Anti-lock
Braking
System

If they ever lock up solid then your brakes are not working right. There are four wheel speed sensors that are looking for a wheel that stops turning before the others, and dumps pressure on that brake line. Are you sure you have ABS?

 

ABS works properly when verything else is OK, not just the tires. If your suspension is worn out, the added bounce will make your ABS over-react. If you have bigger rims, ABS will over-react etc.

I've had 17s on my car and noticed that the ABS system worked harder with them. With my OEM 16s, the ABS barely ever kicked in.

 

Yet another reason why I'm glad my max is non-abs.