The ABS system works by monitoring each wheel with a sensor system. Under heavy braking, a wheel can start to lock up. This will put it into a slide and you will lose control of the car. That’s going to lead to an accident. The ABS stops this from happening by monitoring each wheel. When the sensor indicates a wheel is slowing down because it is locking, the ABS system quickly releases the brake on that wheel until rotation is returned. This happens in the blink of an eye and it feels like the wheel is pulsating.
Brakes should only pulsate when under very heavy braking, ie, when the car would go into a slide. If your brakes pulsate while just driving around in a normal fashion, there is a problem. The first step is to see if the manufacturer has issued any TSB or recall notices. A TSB is a technical service bulletin. It describes a problem and solution with a car that is not common enough to require a recall.
Assuming there is no manufacturer issue, it is time to look at the wheels. Have you recently had a wheel off the car for some reason? If so, most ABS systems require the wheel to be put back on with lug nuts tightened under certain torque requirements. If this isn’t done, you can get the pulsating problem. The fix is to get it done right. The dealer can do it, but so can any tire shop.
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