2004 Volkswagen Jetta Logo
John DeSoto Posted on Jun 20, 2012
Answered by a Fixya Expert

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Why is my jetta losing a/c power when ABS light comes on?

On a few occasions now when I go to park and press the brakes, the ABS light and the triangle with ! light come on and the car and A/C blower lose power. If i let go of the brake and the power comes back the car will jump forward. I have no idea what could be causing this...

  • John DeSoto Jun 25, 2012

    I had the alternator and battery tested and both tested normal. I've noticed that the a/c and radio begin to lose power just before the ABS light comes on and once the ABS light starts coming on it feels like it either goes out of gear or downshifts really hard. Then it will all kick back in and **** forward. Only connection to when it happens is the fact that it happens at the hottest part of the day. Did I mention I live in AZ and its 100+ degrees everyday...could this have any relation??

  • John DeSoto Jun 25, 2012

    Would a low voltage issue be resolved by just simply replacing the alternator?? I just really want to avoid having to take it to the dealer for troubleshooting at $75/hr.

    These issues only happen for about 10-15 secs so it would be really hard to have it tested while it's happening because the ABS indicator just goes off once it's done.

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1 Answer

Marvin

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  • Volkswagen Master 85,242 Answers
  • Posted on Jun 25, 2012
Marvin
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It sounds like you have a low voltage problem in the system, that is about all that will cause this. Keep in mind you must have the Alternator tested when this is actually happening, if not the system will test ok.

  • 2 more comments 
  • John DeSoto Jun 25, 2012

    Would a low voltage issue be resolved by just simply replacing the alternator?? I just really want to avoid having to take it to the dealer for troubleshooting at $75/hr.

    These issues only happen for about 10-15 secs so it would be really hard to have it tested while it's happening because the ABS indicator just goes off once it's done.

  • Marvin
    Marvin Jun 25, 2012

    I have no idea unless the testing is done i respect your money and don't want to waste it on a very expensive part. I recommend you have a dealer look into this.

  • John DeSoto Jun 27, 2012

    Ok so I took it to a VW dealer and they were able to diagnose the problem but I need help figuring out what to do next...
    They said it's having a low voltage/grounding problem. Somehow the power being pushed out by the alternator is overloading the fusebox on top of the battery and causing it to overheat and melt. This is where the fuse for the ABS system is located. So they recommended replacing the alternator, negative battery cable, the cable that runs from alternator to battery, and the fuse box harness on top of the battery. All at the cost of $1900!!! My question now is, is that completely unreasonable or is it just me? Could I get those 4 things for much less $$ and replace them myself or does that just seem like a bogus solution??

  • Marvin
    Marvin Jun 27, 2012

    Sorry to hear of your money issues but the repair cost is what it is,.

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2 Related Answers

Anonymous

  • 113 Answers
  • Posted on Jun 03, 2009

SOURCE: ABS/BRAKE warning lights always on in 2000 VW Passat

OKEY TRY TO GET A CODE WITH SCAN TOOL AND IF YOU CANNOT CONTACT WITH YOUR ECM YOU HAVE TO GET FIX YOUR ABS CONTROL UNIT.
BOSH ABS MODULE GIVES PROBLEM ON THAT MODELS I HAVE SAME PROBLEM WITH MY 1999 PASSAT V6 I SENDED MY PART TO GET FIX AND WAITING FOR THE COME BACK.
GOOD LUCK.
I DRAIN THE BRAKE FLUID FOR THE FIX LEAK FROM MY CALIPER AND I REMOVE THE ABS UNIT AND TAKE THE ELECTRONIC MODULE OUT AND SEND THE FOR THE REPAIR.

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Anonymous

  • 31 Answers
  • Posted on Jul 29, 2009

SOURCE: 1999 vw jetta vr6 abs light stays on, but brakes work fine

the only way you will find this out is to have a diagnostic machine plugged in and the fault memory read to check what fault is logged, it could be anything from a ABS wheel speed sensor to a control module fault, to save money in the long run i would advise you get the fault memory read first. hope this helps

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