2008 Volvo S40 with 173,000 miles. My wife was driving when she noticed this "Anti-Skid Service Required" message come up on the dashboard along with a triangle symbol of a car skidding. The car didn't seem to have any other issues as she was driving. One thing to note that it was 30 degrees here this morning with some light snow, which is pretty cold for our area. Any help would be appreciated...

Please keep in mind, I'm not car savvy, thanks for your time.

UPDATE: I had my wife call me when she got back into the car hours later to drive home for an update on the status of the car. She said when she started it up, everything was still the same with the triangle symbol of a car skidding still being on but instead of it saying "Anti-Skid Service Required", it now said "Anti-Skid Temporarily Off" instead. But then she put it in reverse and started driving and everything disappeared including the message and the triangle symbol. It never came back up during her drive home. So that's the latest.....thoughts? Hope this helps.

The last battery replacement we got was back in May 2017. So it's been almost 3 years.

 

a common cause is the steering angle sensor/clock spring in the steering hub - but sometimes the car may just need a software update. you should have the OBD codes scanned to see what comes back for more detail.

 

Thanks for the reply. I've gone to an Autozone to check what code came up when the Check Engine light came on once. But can an Autozone reader still read codes for an issue like this too or does it have to be one of those VIDA readers that only Volvo specialists can use? Not sure what OBD codes scanned means and at what types of places you have to go to do this at.

Sorry for the dumb question but again not much of a car guy, lol.

 

Good point about finding codes. Autozone will "rent" you a code reader (around here its free but they rent it to avoid being considered a repair shop). Most code readers can read power train and transmission codes (ie the P codes) - its the more sophisticated stuff like ABS codes and chassis codes (for airbags etc) that not all readers can handle so don't assume that their specific reader should/will find a code - but it may... VIDA will pick up the proprietary Volvo codes and be able to run additional diagnostics but most Volvo dealers charge a one hour diagnostic fee if you decline their repair. VIDA can also confirm the software version and do any updates.

 

Just wanted to update this. I guess my problem got better from my original post but it happened again today on 1/11/21 at 181,826 miles. Just like when I posted this last February, the weather was cold, around 30 degrees and flurries like last time. Almost same situation...my wife started up the car and the message showed "Anti Skid Service Required" with a car/triangle icon as she was backing up. Then when she got to her destination, she turned off the car and then back on to see what would happen and it now showed "Anti Skid Temporarily Off" message. Everything else seemed to be fine with the car starting up, driving, etc.

Not sure what to do because I'm not sure what solved my problem last year this happened. Again, my battery is from May 2017, so almost 4 years old if that has anything to do with it. I called my mechanic this morning who has amazing reviews and seems trust worthy...they said they are all booked for this week but could get me in on Tuesday of next week...they seem to think I'd be ok waiting until then with this issue. Do you guys think it's ok to wait that long or should I find someone else to deal with this sooner?

Also replying back to mt6127's comment...you think that despite this not being a check engine light problem, the OBD reader from Autozone could register a code possibly for this and if it would help giving that to my mechanic before next week? Just not sure if I should waste my time going to Autozone before then if it won't read a code or if I even need to before seeing my mechanic. Also, my mechanic is an independent European mechanic and not a dealer....is there a chance I don't have to go see a dealer regarding this problem? I would really hope not but if this issue probably needs to be addressed by a dealer instead, I would rather know that now so I don't waste my time going to my local mechanic first. Not a car guy so please keep that in mind, thanks!

 

The brakes will still stop the car with those error messages - just the antilock/traction control/stability functions will not work. There should be codes stored and can be read with any compatible scan tool - I'm not sure if what the parts stores use can read ABS codes. I would guess it's a related to wheel sensor, or more commonly (unless you are in a salty environment) a problem with the ABS control unit. Many companies repair those - I've used these guys a hundred times or so for module repair/replacement.

https://xemodex.com/us/product/abs-b...epair-service/

 

Thanks for the reply! But when you say the antilock/traction control/stability functions won't work...how serious is that for those not to be working and is it still safe to drive? Not sure what those do.

So just another update. As I mentioned on my last post, it happened this past Monday on 1/11. Sure enough, just like last time though, it went away later that day when my wife got in the car after work. Almost the exact situation too as last February....the message "Anti Skid Temporarily Off" was still on the dashboard when she left for work but the moment she drove after backing up, the messages all went away and we haven't seen them since. So I'm still just really confused going forward. Why did this message only happen once last February and again not until now...and the weather conditions AND message went away the same exact day with the same exact situations. I know you mentioned there should be codes stored but now that the messages are no longer displayed on the dashboard...can the codes for the issue still be read by my mechanic or say an Autozone or not? And why do you figure the message just goes away the same day? The weather conditions have to be part of this no?

Just confused how badly this needs fixing or if it's just something I ignore? Really don't love the idea of ignoring it though if it's something serious? And again thanks for the part recommendation but again, I'm not car savvy at all and can't work on cars myself. I only go to mechanics to fix things. I was hoping also that there would be someone here that's encountered this same issue to help aid in how they fixed the problem. And if this issue is from the same thing most people think...can that be fixed at any mechanic like my local European one or does it have to be a Volvo dealership only? Thanks!

 

The ABS/stability control system tries to prevent the car from skidding and being out of control. With it not working the car will skid if you apply the brakes too hard, it will be more likely to slide off the road if you are going too fast. It will be more likely to spin the tires in snow or slippery conditions. It will be like an older car that does not have the traction aids. SO with it not working don't apply the brake too hard to induce a skid - if you do modulate the brake pedal as you would with a car without antilock brakes. Don't drive too fast in turns and expect the car to help you negotiate your turn.

Auto zone might be able to read your codes - Great, now you've got some numbers, poxxx, poxwz, and poxcv. What good does that do? That does not help - you will need to take the car to a shop of your choice that you trust and has the capability of diagnosing and repairing your car.

Fix or ignore? A customers wife once declined replacement of an ABS unit, was too costly. Shortly after the husband panic stopped coming up to a traffic jam on the expressway. The rear tires locked up and he lost control on the car, "spinning out". Thankfully no one was hurt but the next week the car was in the shop for a new ABS unit.

The point of that is a car without abs has a proportioning valve to prevent rear wheel lockup, so the car will skid in a straight line when you are panic braking. Abs cars do not need that valve, the abs system limits lock up of the rear wheels. So yes it could be more dangerous to drive a car with a bad ABS system if you are prone to panic stops, turns too fast, etc.

 

Is there any chance that the battery voltage was very low or interrupted? IIRC, either of these conditions will set off an ABS (and other?) errors that self-correct as soon as the vehicle is driven a tiny distance (like backing out of your driveway). I'd guess that moisture in a key point might cause the same kind of issue. I used to get the same issue with my Audi after any low-voltage incident (like removing the battery, or a particular fuse). Backing the car up 20 feet would clear the ABS (and steering system) failures.

The fact that the ABS system is "self-resetting" means that the system thinks it's working correctly. I wouldn't get my knickers in too tight a twist over this, but would make certain that the ABS was actually working by doing a panic stop on snow (ideally) or at least wet or muddy conditions (away from other traffic, of course). If you get the tell-tale "drumming" through the brake pedal, you know the ABS system DOES work, and that the error message(s) you're getting are more of a glitch than a "system failure".

NOTE: the above is the advice of a shade-tree mechanic who has probably only lived this long due to dumb luck and/or divine intervention. Most folks are rightly picky about their brakes, and might want to get the opinion of a real expert. ;-)

 

Hey guys, thank you for your posts and breaking this all down for someone like me who isn't car savvy!

So just another update...as my last post mentioned, this anti skid message went away on the same day on 1/11 just like back in 2020. It never came back on but something else happened. My wife was leaving work two days later on 1/13. She got in the car, turned the key and it got stuck plus the car wouldn't start up. She managed to get the key out but she was noticing the car wouldn't respond by locking/unlocking and tried again to start it back up but nothing was turning on. Sure enough, we got AAA to come out and they tested the battery which was dead. It was purchased back in May 2017. We replaced it with AAA for a new battery and still haven't seen the message come back on yet since that one day.

So now my question is...is there a possibility that this was just battery related and everything is fine now? I've heard when batteries begin to die they can throw all types of weird messages on the dashboard. But it is weird because again I got this message for one day only back in February 2020. Or is this still an issue that needs to be fixed going forward and has nothing to do with the dying battery?

Thanks!

 

Yes, indeed - a dying battery can cause all kinds of spurious (and seemingly unrelated) codes to pop up. Any time you've had a "low voltage situation" (like the one you describe above), clear the codes and "start over"... I'm betting that you probably won't see the code for years (until you need a new battery).

 

This model is very very picky with voltage. It must be within a very small range or the car does weird things. A bad battery or alternator or even a dirty battery cable connection can cause havoc.

 

Thank you guys for the reply. The anti skid message hasn't come back on since that day on 1/11. I know you guys think there is just a strong chance that it was the battery since it died two days later....but why then did I get this message for one day only back in February 2020 in almost the same situation and it didn't return until 1/11? The last battery was purchased in May 2017. That part just doesn't make sense to me?

Or is this still an issue that needs to be fixed going forward and has nothing to do with the dying battery? I researched online and someone mentioned this message coming up and possibly dealing with a bad steering angle sensor/clock spring or something? Could it be that or does this not sound like it? I took the car into my mechanic this past Tuesday on 1/19 and brought up this issue even thought it wasn't on the dashboard anymore. After I got the car back, I asked about the issue because they didn't bring it up on their own and they just said possibly it was from the bad battery...but kinda worries me because it's like they didn't even look into it at all and didn't bring up other causes to fix this issue going forward. Maybe I'm wrong, just felt like that.

 

With the complexity of modern cars, I tend to not get excited about a "single incident". The cars have a host of computers that rely on a host of sensors. Any of those can "have a bad day", whether because of a battery issue, or maybe humidity or temperature going to some sort of extreme. Personally, I don't get my knickers in a twist if the car complains about something once, and then "fixes itself". Could have been just a glitch (and as we mentioned, low battery voltage can cause this quicker than anything).

 

Just wanted to update this. It happened again for the third time this past Wednesday on 2/3/21 at 182,814 miles. We picked the car up this past Monday after having some work done on the car (replacing thermostat, front lower control arms, front struts, left front outer tire rod and alignment). The other two occasions when this issue occurred weren't both necessarily from the car being picked up after having work done so don't want you all to think this is always the correlation.

Same exact situation as the other two times that I described above. My wife got in the car on Wednesday morning, after beginning to drive the message "anti-skid service required" came on the dashboard and stayed on until she got to work. Later that night as she left work, she got in the car and instead the message said "anti-skid temporarily off", she backed up and started driving a little ways and the message went away all together. Same EXACT situation and timing as the other two occasions.

No message came on yesterday or today so far. I really was hoping this was going to be from the battery dying and by replacing it on 1/13 would fix this issue like you guys mentioned it was probably from but nope....I know I need to get the codes read but just not sure if they can still be read if the message isn't displayed at the time they try and read them? Because it only has been coming on for that one day. I remember a few years ago one of my old mechanics mentioned the positive battery cable would need replacing in a couple of years. He noted "excessive resistance, voltage drop during start up @ 0.8V spec 0.5 V" But when we moved and I took it to my current mechanic to look at and see if we should finally replace it, they just said they couldn't find an issue...only a little corrosion on the positive battery cable and nothing to worry about. I don't think we've really had issues starting the car up either all these years. But could this issue be stemming from that or no? My rear sway bar links (rubbers are worn) and rear shocks are going to also need replacing in the near future but I doubt this issue relates to that?

No idea what to do...it's just so annoying and I can't tell how serious or not serious this is. Thanks for your guys' help, I really appreciate it.

 

Based on what you wrote, I wouldn't get my knickers in too tight a twist. It sounds like worst case, your car might revert to "normal braking" for a few miles ever blue moon. I could be something as minor as an ABS sensor that's JUST on the verge of being out of spec.

I doubt that the battery terminal is the issue - sounds like your mech checked it out and fixed the problem by just cleaning the battery clamp (a common problem / fix).

 

Thanks habbyguy. Just so I understand...with this anti-skid service required/temporarily off message coming on and off....would the anti-skid function not work at all on the car even when the message isn't displayed? Or only when that message is displayed and only then would it revert to "normal braking"/anti skid function not work?

So just another update...the message hasn't come back on since my last post on 2/3/21 when it went away that same day too. I have an appointment set up with a second mechanic on 3/2 and still trying to decide whether I should have it looked at or not. They told me the message doesn't have to be displayed when I bring it in in order for them to try to fix it....which is the current case right now with it not being on. This second mechanic told me that they do use VIDA while I asked my first regular mechanic who told me they do not use VIDA but instead use Autologic and Autel which has most Volvo things they need but not all...according to them.

 

Same advice as the other thread. If you're going to lose sleep over this intermittent failure, you're really going to have to throw some money at it and hope your mech is a straight shooter. It can get "interesting" when a mech "fixes a problem that isn't there all the time". Maybe he/she is as pure as the driven snow and will find a marginal component and end the drama. Or maybe he/she will take a wild guess, swap out some parts and send you out the door hoping he/she got lucky. No way to tell, other than by reputation.

 

Thanks habbyguy, I'm sorry to disappoint I just really want this drama to be over. Just so I understand...with this anti-skid service required/temporarily off message coming on and off....would the anti-skid function not work at all on the car even when the message isn't displayed? Or only when that message is displayed and only then would it revert to "normal braking"/anti skid function not work?

 

If the anti-braking system isn't operational, you'll have the indicator on the dash showing. Worst case, your brakes will be just like every other car ever built without ABS.

FWIW, a talented driver can actually stop faster without ABS, though it is still a great feature to have since emergencies don't always allow for our highest skill level to be exhibited. ;-)