janamayer3

Seat Altea ABS and Traction Control Issues

I'm having a proper mare with my 2013 Seat Altea diesel. The ABS lamp is constantly lit, traction control is all over the place, and basically the whole ABS system is throwing a tantrum. My local guy reckons it's a speed signal fault and the affected control unit is probably defective. He's quoting around 1000€ which sounds mental. Anyone else had this? The car's done 181266 km. Could it be the ECM? Any ideas before I sell a kidney to pay for it?

4 comment(s)

That sounds familiar. I've got a Seat Altea too, though I can't remember the year. Had similar issues with the ABS light and the traction control going nuts. Did you notice if your speedometer was acting up as well? It could be related to the ABS sensors or, like you said, the ABS control unit. Have you checked the transmission speed sensor? Might be worth a look before dropping serious cash.

Speedometer was indeed going crazy, totally forgot to mention that! The transmission speed sensor... is that something I can check myself, or am I better off just taking it to a proper mechanic? And how sure are you about the ABS control unit being the culprit?

Okay, since your speedometer is also affected, it really does sound like the ABS control unit. Mine was doing the same thing, odometer was also affected. Honestly, unless you're really confident with car electrics, I'd advise against messing with it yourself. You could end up doing more damage. Just get it to a trusted workshop; they should be able to confirm it with a diagnostic check. Bite the bullet and get it sorted properly, better safe than sorry with ABS and traction control.

Right, got it sorted. Took it to the garage, and you were spot on – the ABS control unit was indeed buggered. A grand lighter in the wallet, but at least the Altea's back on the road and the ABS, traction control, and the odometer are all working again. Cheers for the heads-up!

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