Hi, My wife just bought a 2001 Focus with 8600 miles that is in great shape. How can I found out if the car is equipped with anti-lock brakes? Is there somewhere under the hood I can look for the modulator thingy? Or is there a number or letter in the VIN that would tell me?
Thanks, Matt
ABS or lack thereof isn't contained in the VIN. Brake code '2' on the vehicle certification label denotes ABS[1]. The vehicle certification label is positioned on the left-hand B-pillar above the latch. The brake code is located in the lower-left corner and is abbreviated 'BRK'.
[1] This is from the 2000 Focus service manual, I don't know if there was more than one type of ABS offered on the 2001. Implicit in the manual's description of the brake code is that lack of a code indicates a non-ABS system.
In message , Matthew Wojtaszek writes
Clues are:
Disc breaks all round, Traction control button adjacent to the hand break lever, Orange light on the dash, ABS relays and fuses in the fuse-box.
HTH
My 2000 Focus wagon has ABS, but has rear drums and no traction control.
You could wait for some wet weather and some slippery road, make sure there's no cars around, and slam on the breaks (on a slippery road, it should work at low speeds). If you can feel the brake pedal vibrate/pulsate, then you have working ABS.
In message , grumpy writes
Not necessarily.
I've got rear drums, ABS and traction control. Its odd that yours doesn't have TC if its got ABS.
In message , NoRemorse wrote
and if you end up in the roadside ditch you know you haven't :)
Yep, but then it is the only way to find out if you don't know enough about cars and you want to be sure it's working. Albeit a large empty/wet car park would reduce any risk, but then you don't need to drive fast, if it's really wet, only jump hard enough on the brakes.;)
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