I rented a new Fix Or Repair Daily (FORD) car while in Phoenix on my golfing vacation. (Yeh, a FORD Tortus!)

I took my eyes off the road and had to SLAM! on the brakes to avoid a crash. The rental car front tires locked up and left a huge 40 foot black pach of rubber....


I repeated this a few times to check the braking.... apparently, this rental car always locks up the fronts under hard braking....

Question: Does this 2005 rental car lack ABS equiped brakes? I thought all new cars had ABS?

 

When you start it, is there an ABS light on the dash? Or, look under the hood and see if there is an ABS modulator unit (big metal box, like on the F-bodies, or something similar with brake lines under it). Or, check the fusebox for ABS fuses. I'd guess it should be an ABS car, but those are ways to tell.

 

I didn't think to open the hood. No ABS light was burning on the dash, however. I think it was a cheapo Ford car that does not come from the factory with ABS.

 

I remember that 1999-2004 V6 Mustangs didnt have ABS Standard (which are used in some rentals). Which leads me to believe alot of "newer" cars could be the same way.

 

My Mazda 3 doesn't have abs and it is a 2005. By the way, abs costs an extra $522 if you want it installed on a 2006 taurus.

 

Too bad its not an option on most performance cars...Save the money, put it into something else and forget about ABS and TCS on a performance car.

 

My 2006 Corolla doesn't have it either. Which is fine wth me!

 

I a not a fan of the feel that ABS gives me when it actuates. Of course, I did me early driving in a 1986 Cutlass with no ABS/TCS and a 70% front weight bias. I got around fine in rain and snow.

 

Most of the economy rentals do not come with ABS. This is a somewhat hearsay response but a person I know with a rental car company says they have seen more accidents by renters in ABS equipped cars than without and that is because most people never use their brakes hard enough to ever actuate the ABS system. The first time in a panic stop situation an uneducated driver feels the pulsation in the pedal they get scared, they jump off the brake pedal thinking something is wrong and that little distraction is enough to cause an avoidable accident. Whenever I get a rental car, its the first thing I check. As you guys know your brake application with a non ABS car is very different than with an ABS equipped car in a perfomance or panic stop situation. I found it interesting that if you practice your braking skills with a non ABS car it is possible to outbrake an ABS assisted car. I have done it. However, I was unable to outperform an ABS assisted car in wet conditions. I guess I need more practice. Dodge Intrepids if you were wondering. Just rentals on a racetrack.

 

Well I rent a lot of Hertz cars because my company gets a good rate. They ALL seem to have ABS. (In fact, I thought ABS was standard on ALL newer cars)

Anyway, the Phoenix rental car was a FORD "Tortus" from Budget Rent-A-Car.

...they must buy the cheapie cars without ABS.


That is OK with me, but I would have liked to know that before I have a PANIC stop. Next time I will lift the hood before driving off to see if itis an ABS-equiped rental car.

 

I know ABS is an option on both the 2006 chevy cobalt and 2006 pontiac solstice. It's a way for car manufacturers to keep price down for the customers.