My service traction system, Trac off, and ABS lights came on last Monday morning. After work, I expected them to come on when I started the car. However, they stayed off. In fact, they stayed off til Saturday evening. They came on just as I parked the car. Before those started coming on, every so often the "traction active" message would come up while I heard what sounded like a small motor, only while in reverse. I brought the car to one shop and they quoted me $500 for a wheel hub assembly. Another shop $700. What reasonable for this type of repair? These prices seem high and I'm not mechanically inclined. And would that be for just the one bad assembly? I forgot....the car is a 2005 Monte Carlo LS .

 

What assembly threw the code? Could just be the sensor is getting wet and you just need to unplug, make sure the contacts are try and plug it back up.

But yeah, common problem on these cars, and depends on shop-rates but $500 seems about right.

 

I agree with Chibi, find out what the code is. And in some cases (my experience is very rare) it could be a wiring problem (like a wire that is broken or breaking). I have changed a lot of GM FWD wheel hub assemblies because the ABS sensor in them failed. Typical failure is the seal protecting them gets compromised and the internals get wet causing the failure. Only solve is replace the entire wheel hub. I do the work myself and typically takes me about 1 hour and roughly $100 for the part (from Rockauto). But that is me. I have seen this topic NUMEROUS times and people post shop fees. From my memory, average shop cost is about $400-$500 for parts and labor. Now I try not to buy the bargain basement hub assemblies, but my go-to brand moved to China and they have not been the same since. Some of these shops will only deal with AC Delco and that can sometimes increase cost.

Make sure you leverage a reputable shop, that is the biggest important factor.

 

Timken used to be the go to but.....

 

They were my go to for YEARS! I believe their corporate headquarters is in Canton, OH (about an hour from me). When they used to manufacture here in the USA, I never had issues (one and done). Now, the ones I had that say "Made in China", the speed sensors do NOT live up. I am honestly frustrated at this. I have a Grand Am that my front speed sensors just keep failing that I have been driving the past 2 years on hubs that need changed AGAIN. One of them is a Moog (to try a different vendor). Moog has a 3 year warranty and that hub (which has a bad speed sensor) is still under warranty..... The other side has a Chinese Timken that is failed outside of warranty (the front of that car has had 3-4 Chinese Timken hubs).

 

I feel you on that! I purchased a pair of front hubs right before the manufacturing got moved over there, years and years ago, and just saved them until I needed them. Well, I snapped a cable on one of my fronts and just decided to change both at the same time (I'm that guy), now I'm dreading having to purchase again. I wish there were more incentives for businesses to bring back manufacturing here...

 

This is tough. I don't like doing wheel hubs over and over again. They are easy for me to do, but the work is getting OLD! My Grand Am has been through a bunch of Chinese Timkens, now one of the wheels has a Moog and surprise, both front wheels have ABS sensor issues again! I am almost to the point of buy the bottom of the barrel because it doesn't seem to matter. If I could change to an external speed sensor (like my 1993 and 1994 Grand Ams used on the front), I would! Those 99% never failed and when they did, it was because the splines the sensor reads were too caked with junk (clean it off and all done, and that was RARE, maybe 1-2 times in 10-14 years of those two cars).