[groycec]

Last summer I went through new rear tires in 5000 miles. No lite or codes came up. Dealer could not find problem. Tire manf. Replaced tires. After watching tires for three months it was determined that tires were still wearing too fast. Finally dealer checked again with ford and changed the ABS sensors in the rear and now all is well, susposedly. Evidently the bad ABS sensors were causing drag that caused the tires to wear prematurely. Funny the ABS lights never came on. Wondering if I can expect transmission trouble in the future because of this. Anyone ever heard of this before?

[groycec]

Bad ABS sensor Vehicle is a 2004 ford explorer limited v8

[TxGreaseMonkey]

That's a new one! It's extremely hard for me to believe the ABS Sensors had anything to do with premature tire wear.

[Tonyr1084]

I AM NOT A FORD TECHNICIAN! That having been said, if the problem were mine, I might think that perhaps if the ABS is not sensing the rotation of a tire it might cause the other tires to brake harder, possibly causing excessive wear. It could be that both front sensors failed (but I don't know why you wouldn't get any indication). If the ABS is thinking the front tires are skidding, the system might reduce brake pressure to the front tires sending more braking force to the rear tires.

As for future transmission problems? I can't think of any reason why it might. Rather, you might want to inspect all he brake pads and make sure none of them have any excessive wear either - assuming your brakes were not applying evenly.

But remember, I'm not the expert here, someone may have better information.

Good luck.

")

[CaptainRich]

Tonyr1084, your so far off base.
You should go read up on the subject of ABS systems and how they operate. You will learn a lot.
I don't know what the original post has wrong with his car but replacing ABS sensors (or any sensor) won't effect tire wear.

[Tonyr1084]

Well Captain RICH: I said from the outset that I'm no expert. Funny, your profile proclaims you to be an expert - well, what's your expert advice? I noticed you had nothing to say on that subject. Thanks for selecting "Unhelpful" to my post. Guess who it was who selected "Unhelpful" to YOUR post!

I don't think a bad sensor would make a brake drag. However, my reasoning seemed to be fairly simple - even if I know absolutely nothing about brakes and ABS - that if the system thinks a tire is skidding it might redirect braking force to another wheel WHEN THE OPERATOR STEPS ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. Hence: If you have no front brakes and have to rely on the back tires stopping the car only, the tires WILL wear out faster.

Please don't bother me with any more of your insults. I'm no idiot, nor am I an "Expert". I was just offering my opinion from the start.

Have a nice day. Everyone.

[CaptainRich]

More info is needed about the tire wear to determine what caused the wear. Maybe even require seeing the tires to read the wear pattern so I don't have expert advise. And I'll avoid offering opinion where the post asks for real advise and like I said they need to give us more info.
I have my opinion on many subjects but won't keep posting them just to run up post count and worry about 'helpful' or not.
I'm noticeably more interested in the correct and accurate answers.

[Realityczech200]

Experience the same thing with my wife's 2004 Ford Explorer Limited. ABS light would go on and off, intermittently. Took it into the shop to be checked out. Not only was the ABS sensor bad but the rear right tire was worn completely bald. There was a six inch bald strip right down the center of the tire. Shop said that the faulty sensor somehow effected the differential ,sending additional traction the right side rear tire. I never would have thought that a bad ABS sensor could have that much of an impact on how the car rides. From this experience, I highly recommend that if your ABS sensor comes on at all, have it checked out immediately.

[RickMN]

The ABS system and sensors on this vehicle report to the ABS module and control rear hydraulic pressure. So the ABS system actually replaces older mechanical proportioning valves that shifted more brake pressure to the rear wheels when it sensed body lift. So it's possible for a malfunctioning ABS system to apply too much pressure to the rear wheels.

Tony's theory is off-base because ABS systems don't apply additional braking to other wheels. They only deal with the wheel that's about to lock up.

STABILITY control systems apply braking to the slipping wheels. On this particular vehicle, Ford achieves STABILITY control by reducing torque through fuel injector cut off and spark timing retard and by applying the brakes to the slipping wheel..

As for Realitycaech's 6-in bald strip down the center of the tire, that could NOT be caused by ABS. That can only be caused by excess tire pressure that turns the tire into a dough nut shape. When overinflated, all the tire wear occurs in the center of the tread because the shoulders are lifted off the pavement. ABS cannot control which portion of the tread wears out.

Also, the Traction-Lok feature on the 2004 Ford Explorer is NOT controlled by electronics. It's a mechanical system with clutch discs. So the ABS system would have nothing to do with tire wear on only one tire. A bad ABS sensor would, however, make the ABS light go on and off intermittently.

[CaptainRich]

Experience the same thing with my wife's 2004 Ford Explorer Limited. ABS light would go on and off, intermittently. Took it into the shop to be checked out. Not only was the ABS sensor bad but the rear right tire was worn completely bald. There was a six inch bald strip right down the center of the tire. Shop said that the faulty sensor somehow effected the differential ,sending additional traction the right side rear tire. I never would have thought that a bad ABS sensor could have that much of an impact on how the car rides. From this experience, I highly recommend that if your ABS sensor comes on at all, have it checked out immediately.

What was the actual ABS diagnostic trouble code that was stored?
The shop said "somehow effected the differential" and that caused a six inch bald strip to appear on the center of the tire?
If the ABS/TCS detected a system fault that would store a code and turn on the light, the ABS/TCS becomes disabled but base hydraulic braking remains normal. That should in no way affect the way the tires wear. If it does, the vehicle may have other issues that need addressed.
Let us know.