4WD! ESP BAS ((ABS)) and traction control light on in 2008 jeep patriot

Asked by Sarah Mar 05, 2016 at 08:49 PM about the 2008 Jeep Patriot Sport

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

Help! Hopped into my 2008 Jeep Patriot a few weeks ago
and noticed my ((ABS)) and ESP BAS and 4WD! and
traction control lights were on. They were not on before.
When I tried to reverse out of my spot the rpms revved up
very high (over 3k) and my jeep lurched back and
struggled to move. The same thing happened when in
drive. I tried to put it in 4wd and then take it out of it but it
didn't work. Then suddenly it drove normally. Since then
this will happen randomly while driving, then goes back to
normal. The lights have all stayed on. Sometimes the
4WD! light goes off and randomly comes back on. What is
going on!?!?

30 Answers

230

Google CVT Transmission problems, jeep Patriot. Best advice, trade in and get yourself something without a CVT transmission.

16 people found this helpful.
420

I had the same problem with my Compass. If its not the wheel sensors, check the wheel bearings. If its not the wheel bearings, its the ABS PUMP and MODULE. Good luck and hope you have lots of $$$ for the repair. You can still drive but will not have ABS, ESP or 4WD capability.

42 people found this helpful.
980

Hi I have the same situation for my Jeep compass ((ABS)) and ESP BAS and 4WD! and traction control lights were on. What should I do ???

98 people found this helpful.
1,000

2/17/2018 had same problem, son looked up possible causes, i just pulled the kick cover off the drivers side ( kick panel is where hood lever is at ) pulled black tape off wiring harness found 4 pink wires that were taped together in a loop with black tape around them. Pulled black tape off sure enough green corrision and wires broken, cleaned and stripped wires and rejoined them back together , soldered them and retaped , worked great , no lights on anymore and code was cleared, i see lots of people in here with same problem, check yours out before spending lots of dollars.

100 people found this helpful.
180

johnhucul1 I pulled kick panel off, found 4 pink wires, but the connection was solid. Any other suggestions??

18 people found this helpful.
870

Had the same issue (2008 Patriot) The wheel bearing and hub assembly are all one unit, on the back side of the bearing there is a clip where the ABS sensor is attached to. Over time that clip corrodes and the speed sensor ABS sensor will no longer work. It will throw all of those codes it did in mine at least. You may be able to still use the old sensor but if its the problem I had the hub Assembly will have to be replaced even if the bearing is still good because the clip isn't sold separately. Hub assembly is about 70 bux online and abs sensor is about 30. An honest mechanic would charge about an hour to an hour and a half for labour.

65 people found this helpful.
520

I need help...my bad light is on.and my esp bad..an the traction car light too has been on since I hit a pole..What does it mean? Could it have anything to do w hitting the pole?

21 people found this helpful.
300

Check the wireing harness under the driver side like rest there will be a red looped wire that will be corroded or broken. Hope this helps.

23 people found this helpful.
270

I have an 07 jeep compass I changed the rear abs sensor and a wheel bearing .two days later the 4wd and the traction control lights are flashing and the jeep won't go over 20mph any thoughts?

27 people found this helpful.
870

@RickVining66 When the Abs throws a code it will do that I think I read that somewhere, I'd look at the other berring/speed sensor on opposite side. I had that exact scenario. Replaced one, and then had to replace the other. Also a cheap code reader can go a long way. I bought a bluetooth one on amazon that pairs with my phone and goes pretty in depth. Now its throwing a check engine light talking about camshaft position is advanced. I think the camshaft position sensor needs to be replaced.

18 people found this helpful.
300

Check the driver side kick plate the big wire harness there will be a looped red wire it will have corrosion or a break.

7 people found this helpful.
260

Your cheapest and most likely fix is electrical. I agree that you should check the ground strap off the negative terminal between the body and the battery. The driver side kick pannel is a great place to check for corrosion as well. However it is most likely the connection at the wheel wells. There are two connections in the wheel wells one at the back of the wheel hub assembly connecting to the ABS sensor the other at the frame where the wires enter back into the vehicle. Check for any visual signs of wear and exposed wire and fix accordingly. But most likely moisture has gotten into the connection and cause corrosion and a bad connection. I simply cleaned those two connections at all four wheels and filled them with dielectric grease and the problem was fixed permanently.

26 people found this helpful.
160

same thing just happen to my jeep was rt rear abs sensor the ret clip on the hub rusted off it is part of the rear bearing replaced hub all is good lt side not far behind

16 people found this helpful.
40

My wife’s 2013 Jeep Compass had 2 separate incidents about 2 weeks apart from one another. Our mechanic mentioned the throttle body has to be replaced. We’ll see.

4 people found this helpful.
50

I had a similar problem and it was the throttle body sensor. They didn’t replace it, just cleaned it and it has been running normal for the last week. Today I took it on the highway and now when I hit 70 the rpm’s were at 2.4 or 2.5 which seems really high compared to before.

5 people found this helpful.
110

In my case I had the exact same issues on a 2006 Cherokee. Shudders,brakes engaging themselves at low speed,no acceleration. All same lights on.It also felt like the brakes were worn right down. Removed all four wheels and checked brakes, they were fine. Found drivers side wheel hub assembly ( which contains abs sensor and wheel bearing) to be bad,so replaced it and zero issues since. No indicator lights,shuddering and the brakes feel like they should. Hope this helps because it was quite frustrating for me as well

11 people found this helpful.
550

I have a 2016 Jeep Patriot with the ABS light on along with the 4wd! and the traction light on. I don't know anything about mechanical problems. A few places I have called has said I am looking at a lot of money. It is crazy a three year old vehicle is going to cost a lot already. Please help me with what to do.

55 people found this helpful.
80

In my case replacing a bad wheel hub assembly (which contains an abs sensor and a wheel bearing )fixed the problem.

7 people found this helpful.
70

I have a 2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara, and have had to replace the rear wheel sensors. Haven't had a issue since them (been about a year). Last week I start getting a flashing ABS/BAS/ESCOFF & 4WD indications and Jeep won't go over 25-30 mph. I just replaced the front wheel hub ABS Speed sensors, and started doing same thing. UGH! Anyone have other ideas? Thanks! #dontwanttohavetosellJeepyet

7 people found this helpful.
190

Exact same problem. Look at this post (https://www.jeeppatriot.com/threads/esp-bas- traction-control-4wd-dash-lights-fix.177529/) for pictures about the pink wires. I had the same problem. Used a wire nut to get the 4 pink wires together, some electrical tape, and here we go for another 11 years.

19 people found this helpful.
70

A quick fix is to pull the ABS fuse. You will still get the lights but the car won't drop to 20 mph.

7 people found this helpful.
70

Just had the same issue. It was the right front wheel speed sensor. $340 for diagnostic testing and repair at jeep.

7 people found this helpful.
130

While driving, every now and then my 2011 Patriot (2.4, 5 speed) will lurch and the 4wd , ABS and traction control lights will come on. Activating the 4wd lever gets no change. Today it happened and the brakes shuddered when I depressed the brake pedal. I had Jeep service rep;ace one wheel sensor a few months ago. It only has 36,000 miles.

13 people found this helpful.
40

Check your wheel speed sensors I've changed mine and my four wheel drive warning light and traction control and ABS light went off

4 people found this helpful.
60

My 2008 Jeep Liberty also has ESP BAS SERV 4WD and Slippery Road lights on. Late at night I turned Jeep on to head home. I engaged the Drive and the Jeep took off without me. It was on high rev and I was standing on the brakes. I drove terrified for nearly a half mile and one 90 degree turn before it disengaged. I was so grateful that the roads were empty because I could have killed someone if not many people, depending on where I could have been. I'm terrified to drive it again. Help!

6 people found this helpful.
60

Too bad Jeep won't own up and see they have a problem with their vehicles. my 2011 has been doing same thing with lights going to cost a ton no thanks I'm going to GM at least they recall when people had complaints.

6 people found this helpful.
45

I have a 2009 Jeep Patriot. I had new tires and an alignment done last week. I drove it about 20 miles and it was great. The next day my dashboard lit up. ABS, 4WD, E Brake, engine light... Why? All the fuses are ok. The guy at Midas said his computer could not talk to my ABS. Could having my tires finally aligned have anything to do with this. Funny how the tire they had a hard time with is the rear passenger tire. The one with the sensors. Thank you.

4 people found this helpful.
870

Wheel bearing sensor. The wheel bearing has a clip on the back side of it. When your jeep throws that code it could be the speed sensor, a bad wheel bearing, or the clip that attaches to the bearing that allows the speed sensor to be clipped in. You cannot replace the clip itself, you will have to replace the entire bearing. The clip corrodes over time. If they had a hard time with the tire it's probably a sign of corrosion on the back end. If you end up replacing the wheel bearing, invest the extra 15 dollars for a new speed sensor as well, you dont want to replace the bearing and then have them take it apart again to replace the sensor. They can do it all at once with little cost difference in labour. Replacing the wheel bearing yourself is a heck of a job, you may need a torch to loosen the nut. Any mechanic with their salt should be able to do the whole job in an hour. I bought the parts on amazon, parts and labour came to be less than 200 CAD.

4 people found this helpful.

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