I’ve been having this problem pop up recently, and I’m wondering if anyone else with a 2008 4th gen has dealt with this. The issue seems random, but keeps coming back.
Sounds like your wheel speed sensor might be blocked or the tone ring could be damaged. I’d recommend checking the sensor and cleaning it up first.
Keaton said:
Sounds like your wheel speed sensor might be blocked or the tone ring could be damaged. I’d recommend checking the sensor and cleaning it up first.
Thanks for the tip! I’ll take a look at that and see if it’s the issue.
@Dev
I had the same thing on my 2010. It ended up being the speed sensor.
@Dev
No problem! Hope that works out for you.
I’m having the same problem with my 2008. It doesn’t happen too often, and restarting the truck seems to make the message go away. I never had a chance to scan it when the message showed up, though.
If your ABS light is on too, it’s likely a wheel speed sensor problem. From my experience, it’s rarely just the sensor. Often it’s a worn bearing, broken wire, or rust that’s causing the issue.
Penn said:
If your ABS light is on too, it’s likely a wheel speed sensor problem. From my experience, it’s rarely just the sensor. Often it’s a worn bearing, broken wire, or rust that’s causing the issue.
That’s funny you mention the bearing. A mechanic told me I might have a bad wheel bearing, so that could be what’s setting it off.
@Dev
You should get that fixed soon. A bad bearing will damage other steering parts like tie rod ends and ball joints. It can also mess with your ABS, causing the system to think one wheel is slipping and affecting braking on the other wheels.
@Penn
A bad wheel bearing can also mess up wheel alignment and steer alignment, which will shorten tire life.
@Dev
I had a similar issue with my 2008. The wheel bearing caused the exact same problem. I could hear the bearing grinding before the lights showed up.
@Dev
Could be the bearing, or even another one going bad. I had this issue with my '98 where one bad bearing caused ABS problems, then the other bearing failed shortly after. There was no noise or wobble from the bearing though—just the ABS fault. I replaced the ABS sensor, but the problem came back.
Could be something simple like that. Having access to a scan tool would definitely help figure it out.
I’ve seen the same issue. My ‘08 throws the ‘Service RSC Now’ warning occasionally. It drives strange when it happens, and the alarm is super loud. I pull over, restart, and it goes away. I also notice the traction control light coming on sometimes when braking, like the brakes aren’t responding properly. I think the two issues are connected.
@Taylor
That’s exactly what happened to me when I first got the truck. It stopped for a while, but now it’s back. It seems to happen randomly.
Just a thought—do you have a metal thermostat housing? I had a case where the engine coolant temp sensor shorted to ground through the housing. Once I fixed that, the RSC light and alarm stopped.
Had the same problem on my Expedition. Turned out I needed to replace the rear wheel hubs.
Yep, both times it was the hub that caused the issue.
Same here with my 2007. It turned out to be a bad wheel bearing.