UK-POLOS.NET - THE VW Polo Forum

Hi again,

I was taking some people out the other day in my nice newish polo. Got a couple of miles and the ABS warning light came on. WTF? Got where I was going, it went out when I restarted. Didn't see that light again for a while.

Took my mum and dad to the pub the other day, and again, warning light on. Went round left hander, went off!?

Took it on the pub car park and dumped the brake, ABS functions sounds like the car is broken so all is well, (always feels like you broke it when abs works!)

Hmm, I thought. How come I have only seen it when someone is sat in the back? Reveresed up the ramps had a squiz underneith. Thought it might be the load sensor. Nope, but lots of surface rust, so I got some black undersealer and wafted everything ready for next winter - might as well well I'm down there. Still can't work out why I only see it when there is someone on the back seat...?!

Pulled up the back seat and found two connectors, one on the left one on the right. The one on the right - the side my mum was on, was twisted, and not sitting all the way home like the one on the left. I unclipped both, squashed the pins a bit and put it back together. Just for interest started the engine and yanked it out again, the light comes on. Plug it back in and the light goes out (after the wheels have moved.)

Put the seat back and thought - might as well go to the pub again. No warning light, and not seen it since.

I'm not 100% sure this was the fault - but it seems like a good candidate and it seems to have gone away now. I guess I was lucky to put two and two together.

Just so you know you're not going crazy, I get the exact same problem. It usualy goes away soon after it happens though.
Everytime I think about going to sort it out, it goes away.
I may have a look at it later as it happened last night, when my larger than average friends were in the back of my car.

I opted for no ABS so I don't have those kind of problems

thought it was standard?

It is as far as I know, as is power steering. I can't see the point of developing non abs hubs etc there is no point.

i thot ABS was standard throughout the MK5 range.


mk6 are for sure..

I disconnected one of those wires under the seat a while ago thinking it was something else... that ABS light made me think of vw dealers and big bills

what a relief when the light went off again!!

yep mine did the exact same thing on my gti, was so bloody annoying, vw first said there was a problem with the ABS sensor which I had to pay think 90 quid for, but it happened again so looked under the seat and suprise suprise the connectors were out, put them in, start off and all is well never and come back since

Yes, but hopefully it doesn't log with the ECU. There is a chance that the ECU will log it and next time VW jack in at service or fiddling time, they'll see that there was a fault.

Thus when you get back from shopping they'll be saying - you needed a new rear hub mate....

- Just a thought, happened to me a while back when they said it would have to come back because it had logged a fault in the coolant level sensor - I then explained that I forgot to connect it again (or someone who shall remain nameless did). I said just clear it.

I must say, I haven't seen the light again since then [the abs], so I think that it was the fault. The only other time you're likely to see the ABS light on is when it gets confused on snow when rolling backwards whilst wheel spinning forwards, or when attempting handbrake turns [when it thinks the back wheels have locked].

Prash wrote:yep mine did the exact same thing on my gti, was so bloody annoying, vw first said there was a problem with the ABS sensor which I had to pay think 90 quid for, but it happened again so looked under the seat and suprise suprise the connectors were out, put them in, start off and all is well never and come back since

I'm not entirely certain, but I think I might have disturbed mine a while ago when fitting the sub. Connectors are not a strong point on the polo. Especially the sodding boot lock switch! I had to make one out of floppy disk drive connector bits. (then I bought one for about 40p from VW - can't be bothered to fit it whilst my bodge stilll works!)

JWC wrote:Hi again,

I was taking some people out the other day in my nice newish polo. Got a couple of miles and the ABS warning light came on. WTF? Got where I was going, it went out when I restarted. Didn't see that light again for a while.

Took my mum and dad to the pub the other day, and again, warning light on. Went round left hander, went off!?

Took it on the pub car park and dumped the brake, ABS functions sounds like the car is broken so all is well, (always feels like you broke it when abs works!)

Hmm, I thought. How come I have only seen it when someone is sat in the back? Reveresed up the ramps had a squiz underneith. Thought it might be the load sensor. Nope, but lots of surface rust, so I got some black undersealer and wafted everything ready for next winter - might as well well I'm down there. Still can't work out why I only see it when there is someone on the back seat...?!

Pulled up the back seat and found two connectors, one on the left one on the right. The one on the right - the side my mum was on, was twisted, and not sitting all the way home like the one on the left. I unclipped both, squashed the pins a bit and put it back together. Just for interest started the engine and yanked it out again, the light comes on. Plug it back in and the light goes out (after the wheels have moved.)

Put the seat back and thought - might as well go to the pub again. No warning light, and not seen it since.

I'm not 100% sure this was the fault - but it seems like a good candidate and it seems to have gone away now. I guess I was lucky to put two and two together.

these plugs u refere too under the back seat are the plugs for the rear speed sensers basicaly for the people who do not no a speed senser detects the speed of the wheel in relation to the others so say if u lock your rear brakes up the ecu stops the preasure to that brake and reaplys it thus is why u can hear when braking hard each wheel locking and unlocking
jwc sounds like you cure the problem mate loose connection in the plug oh yeah i think it actully does keep the fault so u might want to get it removed

I kind of figured out that they must be the speed sensors when I was under the car, I saw them going to the rear hubs. It was kind of what I was looking for. I still think its a stupid place to put them under the seats, looks like I'm not the only one who has had them come adrift.

i agree if u seen all the vw cars and worked on um u will see most things are put in stupid places

Can't be as bad as some renaults? To get the inlet manifold off one required drilling out rivets and poping new ones in. Mind you, when VW use plastic clips that snap, I suppose there is little difference.

Maybe the car is not designed for fat people? No offence intended to anyone