I had a question about my breaks skipping. I have my 2007 saturn ion 3.
Over the last.. i dont rly know.. while.. iv suspected a brake skipping issue might be starting up. Once in a rare while i 'thought' i felt something like skipping when i braked semi quick. Kinda like how a bike chain feels if it skips a bunch. But i never had a moment where it was really obvious, or to confirm it was actually happening and not just in my head.

Last week tho, i actually had, or almost had, an incident. The difference in this case was instead of a semi quick stop, it was a full on slam the breaks moment. (At maybe 35-40ish mph. Dry road iirc. Cold outside.) And the breaks really started skipping. No question about it. And that was the first time i felt something like that before. So i was concerned there might be an issue. Normal breaking works/feels fine.

I tried doing a search for the issue, which, no surprise probably, lead to a bunch of possible potential causes/issues. Didnt exactly narrow down anything for me. To wide a range of general possibilities. So i figured id ask some ppl that know saturn ion (3)'s specifically.
I did mention it to another guy i know. He said there probably wasnt anything wrong with the car. That the brake system is designed to do that on hard braking like that. Part of the ABS system. - It would be nice if that is the case. 'Nothing wrong with the car' is certainly the best thing to hear. But considering how important brakes are.... kinda the thing id like to look in to more and hopefully verify one way or another.

I appreciate any info on the subject!
Thank you!

 

All modern vehicles with ABS will do that "quick mechanical pulsing" thing when the ABS engages. This happens when the tires start to lose traction. 40 to 0 is a perfect example of when to expect it. The brakes are designed to quickly perform the equivalent of pumping the brakes, only faster than you could and more precisely in terms of the pressure required to stop the vehicle in the shortest distance.

When the system engages, most vehicles' ABS light on the dash will flash when the system is active.

If you'd like more confidence in knowing your vehicle is braking properly, take your vehicle out to a large empty parking lot on a wet day with no one around and nothing you can hit. Get going at a reasonable clip, then push and hold the brake pedal to the floor. You should feel the same pulsing of the brakes and see the light for the ABS on the dash flash. When doing this, remember the car will slightly lose traction on wet pavement, make sure there is nothing nearby to hit with your vehicle.

 

Back in the 90s through 2004 I worked on the local police and fire departments fleet of vehicles. Part of the police vehicle service was verifying the ABS systems after high speed pursuits. The PD would bring their cars in for a safety/performance evaluation after high speed activities or possible damage situations. I stocked all the front suspension pieces plus a couple sets of new tires and wheels. The ABS test drive was on a small rural street that had a level gravel shoulder. I could use it in both directions and exercise one side then turn around and do the other side coming back on the same road. This verified proper operation and straight stops.

ABS is a wonderful system and saves lives, when my daughter and wife had their accident this Summer. Our Lincoln got hit in the left front while traveling at 65+ mph. The left front lower ball joint separated and the wheel and tire slammed into the firewall under the pedals. The frame bent in at the upper control arm pushing the ABS controller into the driver’s side valve cover. The system continued to function as designed allowing my daughter to remain in control and safely stop the Lincoln with only three wheels in play. Of course the ABS system kept screaming at them while it was trying to release the left front brake until stopped. I should post a couple pictures of the tire that got ripped apart dragging on the ground.

 

Agreed that your system is working the way it should. I had a 98 Dodge Grand Caravan that did that to me once. Some turd in front of me was turning right at a yield sign with nothing coming. He STOPPED! I had to jam on the breaks and I got the pulsation and ABS light on the dash flashing. My wife thought I'd run into the guy and I let her know that the GC had a great ABS system. If we'd been in our 87 Horizon at the time, there would have been damage.

 

Im glad to hear that this sounds like its operating as it should be. Never want an issue, but especially dont want a brake issue!
I honestly have no idea if the abs lights were flashing or not. By that moment, my focus was not on a dashboard light. So i didnt see/notice if it flashed or not. Im trying to think of a place near by to test it out that would be safe, but nothing is coming to mind. Ill have to think on it some more.

 

I am not sure if the light flashes when in ABS, I am more concerned with not running into something than looking at the warning lights.

 

The ABS light will illuminate on bulb check or when a problem is detected and not during activation on the road.