Ok, so that narrows down to the ABS module that company refurbishes your ABS module and returns it to you, no programmer required

 

Hi sclawrenc: Funny you should reply today....I just had my beloved HHR towed off to the junk yard a few minutes ago.....it came off very easily but I can't remember how it was so long ago. .... the abs light didn't go on after the valve swap so I assume that it didn't need to be reprogrammed. However, I never got the brakes to work so I can't be sure. If you have a soft pedal, I would remove the two brake lines from the master cylinder and plug the connections. Start the engine and press the brake. If you have a hard pedal the problem is further down the line. Next I would put a clamp on the 4 hydraulic brake hoses. if you have a hard pedal the problem is in the brake hardware of one of the wheels. If you have still have a soft pedal, its probably the ABS unless there is air in the brake line.

 

Thanks, superdow. Sorry to hear about your HHR being towed to the junkyard. Since you mentioned it, why did you get rid of it? My brakes work fine other than the ABS/Brake/Traction Control lights stay on constantly and I have a code C0550. I will go in the garage later this evening and try to get the connector off. Even the connector flip latch didn't seem to budge when I tried it before, but now I know it flips up and then comes out, I think I will try my luck.

 

Seems to me that the C0550 indicates an error issue in the ABS module. Perhaps your best choice is to send it in for repair.

 

My traction control light was on for years, however the ABS still worked, so I was unconcerned about that. I never could figure out what was causing the spongy brakes despite multiple brake bleeding sessions with abs scan tool, replacing the master cylinder, front and rear brakes including hoses and calipers, and replacing abs valve module. When I accidentally cut through or mostly through a brake line with a dremel cut off wheel, I took that as a sign that I had better things to do with my life at age 72 than laying on a garage floor in freezing weather with a "project car" and listening to my wife ridicule me for all of the hours I spent on it. At any rate I now have a 2024 RAV4 for over a year which I hope will last me the rest of my driving life.

 

C0035/40/45/50 pretty much can only be a problem with a wire or connector to the wheel speed sensor, or an internal connection within the sensor itself.

 

And the sensors are inside the wheel hubs assembly.
C0550 indicates problems inside the ABS module.

 

Yes. C0550 is "Electronic Control Unit (ECU) Performance." Which can be caused by low voltage. Or maybe bad signals thanks to C0040/50? I have no idea. But I would definitely fix the C0040/50 sensor issue and any battery/voltage/ground/wiring/charging issues before risking pointlessly fooling with a module.

 

Gee that was recommended way back !

 

Thanks to you all for your response and help. Just to close this out in case someone else reads this, I did have a bad ABS module. Since Repair Laboratory wanted $600 to repair my ABS module and all of the other companies I tried said they couldn't repair due to a parts shortage, I decided to try my luck at my local junkyard. My first one from the junkyard was also giving me a C0550 error so I was starting to doubt my diagnosis that the module was bad. I mean what are the chances that another one I randomly picked up from the junkyard had the same issue?! Well, I decided to try my luck one more time and picked up two more ABS modules from the junkyard (they were only $15). This time when I installed the first one, I had no C0550 error upon start and was able to easily clear the error codes. My ABS/Brake/ESC lights all went off after I cleared the codes, and I got even luckier and saw no mention of needing to program the unit. The other one I tried said VIN mismatch. We have a lot of snow and ice here now so will take it for more official test drives later, but I believe the C0550 error is gone. Thanks again for everyone's help. :)