What causes the abs light to come on?

There can be many reasons for the ABS light to turn on. If you don’t see a clear sign of a problem behind the light, an ABS car scan tool may be necessary.

All you have to do is connect the device to your OBD2 carport and run an ABS test. From there, you will have a clearly identified trouble code about what is wrong with the ABS.

With this pinpointed information, you can easily diagnose and fix the issues with your vehicle.

With an OBD tool, you can quickly find out what that break light indicates and more importantly, what you can do to fix it. The Innova 5210 is a great entry-level tool for diagnosing Check Engine problems, checking road trip readiness, inspecting used cars and more (no automotive experience needed!).

Click here to learn more about our best OBD2 scan tool recommendations in 2024.

Finding out what’s wrong and how to fix it

This article will cover the following topics:

1. Your next steps
2. Getting the vehicle’s data
3. Viewing the repairs and costs for your vehicle
4. Your options

Next steps

The best way to diagnose an ABS light is to use an Innova tool such as an Innova 5210. Innova tools read your vehicle’s diagnostic system and uses the Innova RepairSolutions2 app to generate a report with most likely fix for your issue.

Maintaining your vehicle and addressing issues maintains vehicle safety, fuel economy and longevity.

Getting your vehicle’s data

1 – Purchase a Tool
A tool is required to pull information from the vehicle so you may view it.
We recommend the Innova 5210.
However, if you’re looking for a tool with more features, Innova offers other options.

2 – Download Innova App
Download the Innova RepairSolutions 2 app.

While the tool is able to display some data pulled from the vehicle, the app will be able to provide more information such as the repair and costs needed for your vehicle’s repair.

The app will work with your tool, so please wait for your tool to arrive or you may visit any of our retailers to purchase it today.

3 – Get Report
Setup your account with your tool by following the instructions here.

Then create the report following the directions here.

On your tool, navigate to the ABS section to access that information.

The tool will display some information regarding your vehicle.

The additional ABS data will upload to your report.

Viewing the repairs and costs for your vehicle

If the Fix is available

If your ABS code has a known repair, it will create an ABS report element. If the repair is known, the app will provide information such as the parts needed for repair and how much the repair will cost.

If Fix is not available
Your ABS code information will be inside of the Needs Attention report element.

Innova Techs will then begin looking into your issue and researching the repair. A Fix may be available for your issue within 10 business days.

Your Options

At this point, you have two options.
1. You may attempt the repair on your own now knowing the repair needed, and the needed parts for the repair.
2. You may take the vehicle to repair shop now knowing roughly the cost of repair for your issue.

Innova does not recommend ignoring a dashboard light even if the vehicle drives ‘fine’ as this can create the need for very expensive repairs later

Maintaining your vehicle and addressing issues maintains vehicle safety, fuel economy and longevity.