Updated at: 25-03-2022 - By: Lucas

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If your wheel speed sensor is defective, can you still drive? you probably have the symptoms of a malfunctioning wheel speed sensor and want to know if it is safe to continue driving the car or wait till the sensor is fixed? This is a common question

Well, when something goes wrong with a car’s engine, it’s best to wait until the problem is addressed before driving again.

Most drivers, however, ignore the warning indicators and continue driving if they have a defective wheel speed sensor. Well, don’t be like “the vast majority of people.”

When your wheel speed sensor fails, here’s what you need to know and what you should do.

Can You Drive With a Bad Wheel Speed Sensor?

Can You Drive With A Bad Wheel Speed Sensor-2

A wheel speed sensor serves what purpose? To begin, we need to know what the problem is.

It would be helpful to know how a good wheel speed sensor works in order to predict what to expect when it breaks down; unfortunately, you can only expect a stark contrast between good and terrible.

Since every wheel in the car is equipped with an onboard gyroscope, the vehicle’s speed may be measured by the wheel speed sensor.

In order to communicate with the gearbox or anti-lock braking system (ABS), it sends signals indicating which wheel is moving at what speed.

The signals obtained by the ABS from all of your vehicle’s wheel speed sensors are now used to make the driver assistance technologies in your car work more efficiently.

Cruise control, lane-keep assist, and a slew of other features are examples of driver aid technologies.

The ABS would get incorrect signals if a wheel speed sensor malfunctioned.

Cars today have become more interconnected than ever before, which means that a malfunction in one system can have a ripple effect that affects other parts and systems of the vehicle.

If this is the case, you may notice a decrease in stability and control, as well as an increase in traction loss and a number of other anomalies.

All of these issues can be traced back to a malfunctioning wheel speed sensor.

What about the question, “Can you drive with a defective wheel speed sensor?”? YES, but that could be a risky proposition.

If you ignore these early warning signals of a failing speed sensor, it could turn into a far more serious issue that will cost you more money in the long run.

If you don’t fix the defective sensor in time, you could wind up with a faulty transmission. It’s significantly less expensive to replace all of your wheel speed sensors at once.

“A stitch in time saves nine,” as the saying goes, is the perfect analogy for this situation.

What Happens When You Drive With A Bad Wheel Speed Sensor?

Nothing unpleasant is going to happen at first, save from the fact that driving would be tough.

It’s going to be difficult to drive the car despite the fact that every other component appears to be in decent shape, from hard gear shifting to semi-stiff brake petals to hill climbing issues.

But in the long term, a malfunctioning wheel speed sensor might induce limp mode and potentially damage your transmission.

Your wallet is going to take a huge hit if anything interferes with your transmission.

In order to determine which speed sensor is defective, we recommend that you conduct a thorough diagnostic of your car.

Wheel speed sensors can be replaced all at once if you have the means to do so; this way, you won’t have to worry about replacing one sensor today and then having another fail in a few days.

Summary

If your wheel speed sensor is defective, can you still drive? We hope this post has answered this question thoroughly, and now we’d want to hear from you.

Has your wheel speed sensor ever failed? How did you handle the problem, and how did it turn out?

No matter what advice you obtain from other drivers on automobile forums, you should always remedy any problems your vehicle has before going for a drive.