Mercedes-Benz Case Study · 96

Mercedes-Benz CLA200 ABS sensor, replaced.

A Mercedes-Benz CLA200 came in with the ABS warning light on. A wheel speed sensor had failed. Replaced on the affected corner, the system back online and the warning cleared.

Job done

Mechanical Repairs Brakes Mercedes-Benz Specialist
Mercedes-Benz CLA200 parked at the workshop, in for an ABS sensor diagnosis.

The brief

The CLA200 had its ABS warning light on. When that light comes on the anti-lock braking is disabled, the car still brakes but without ABS, and if the brake warning light comes on too you shouldn't drive it. The owner brought it in to get it checked, which is the right call. The usual cause is a wheel speed sensor. There's one at each wheel, and they tell the ABS module how fast each wheel is turning so it can step in if one locks under hard braking. The sensors sit down by the hubs, exposed to heat, water and road grime, and they fail, the element going or the wiring corroding. When one stops giving a clean signal the module can't trust the data, so it shuts ABS down and lights the dash. A failed sensor doesn't recover, so it needs replacing.

Diagnostic scan on the Mercedes-Benz CLA200 pointing to the failed wheel speed sensor.

The diagnosis

A diagnostic scan pulled the fault straight to a wheel speed sensor on one corner, no clean signal coming from it, which is exactly what trips the ABS light. The other three sensors and the brakes themselves checked out, it was that one sensor. That's a sensor replacement on the affected corner, you don't repair a failed speed sensor, so the call was a new genuine sensor, fitted and the codes cleared.

The old ABS sensor removed from the hub.

The work

The wheel came off, the failed ABS sensor was removed from the hub, the mounting cleaned up, and a new genuine Mercedes-spec wheel speed sensor fitted and routed properly so the wiring's protected. The system was scanned to confirm a clean signal from all four wheels and the stored ABS codes cleared. A road test confirmed the ABS warning light stayed off and the anti-lock system was active again.

The new genuine Mercedes-spec wheel speed sensor ready to fit.

The outcome

No ABS warning, the anti-lock braking back online, and a clean signal from every wheel. The CLA200 went home with the safety system working again. A failed wheel speed sensor takes ABS offline until it's fixed, so changing it on the affected corner and clearing the codes put the braking system back where it should be.

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