ABS Sensor Replacement Cost: Is Your Quote Fair?

The ABS sensor, also called the wheel speed sensor, is a small part at one wheel, and the priciest one we priced was $141. So if your quote runs to several hundred dollars, the sensor is the smaller part of your money, and you can find out where the rest of it goes.

The biggest jump comes from the wheel hub: on some cars the sensor is built into it, and then the hub is the part you buy. Further down, you'll find the part priced for ten popular cars, front and rear, next to the national average for the whole job.

How much does an ABS sensor replacement cost?

$314 is the average wheel speed sensor repair across the US, parts and labor, and the sensor alone is $6.49 to $141 on the ten cars in the table further down. The difference between those two figures is what you pay for the shop's time, plus anything else your car's job needed.

Your bill can also price the part above the counter figure, because the shop adds its own margin and may fit the carmaker's part rather than a cheaper brand. The box below splits the job into the pieces your bill is made of.

Whether the quote comes from a dealer, an independent shop or a mobile mechanic, compare the hours and the hourly rate on each one, not only the total. Ask for both numbers in writing.

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Is your ABS sensor quote fair?

Yes, if it names the wheel, the part and the hours, because you can check each of those lines against a figure on this page. If your quote gives one total and no lines, you can't check it at all, so ask for it in writing, line by line.

Here's what an ABS sensor replacement quote should list, and how you can check each line:

• The sensor. Its part number and the corner it fits. Your car's counter price is in the table below.
• Labor. The hours times the shop's rate. At $120 to $159 an hour, each half hour adds $60 to $80.
• Diagnosis. Reading the ABS codes and the live wheel speeds, if the shop charges you for it, as its own line.
• A hub, if needed. When the sensor is built into the hub, the hub is the part, and it costs more than a sensor.
• Wiring. If a wire or plug is damaged, you can have it repaired instead of buying a sensor.
• Tax and shop supplies. Small lines, but they belong on the written quote too.

Worth fixing on your old car? The cheapest sensor is under $40 on every car we priced, and until it's fixed your anti-lock brakes stay switched off.

Why can a quote jump to the hub price?

Your quote jumps when the sensor comes built into the wheel hub, because then the hub is the part you buy. The hub carries the wheel bearing too, so it's a bigger part and a longer job than a sensor on its own.

On the 2012-2018 Toyota Camry Hybrid and Avalon, Toyota sells the rear sensor inside the hub: parts 42450-06110 (right) and 42460-06070 (left), $505 each at Toyota's list price. Aftermarket hubs listed against those numbers cost $78 to $91, and there, the hub is the only way to replace the rear sensor.

On a 2015 Silverado 1500 4WD the front sensor is sold separately for $14 to $34. A hub with the sensor built in, $94 to $151, is an option rather than a must.

So when your quote names a hub, ask whether your car's sensor is sold on its own. If it is, you only need the hub when the bearing or the sensor's tone ring is also damaged.

What should you ask the shop?

Five questions at the counter tell you more than any price comparison. Here's what to ask before an ABS sensor replacement, and what a real answer sounds like:

• Which code, and which wheel? A shop that scanned your car can name both for you. The code points at a wheel, not yet at a part.
• How did that wheel's live speed compare with the other three? A sensor that drops out while the others read steady is the evidence you're paying for.
• What part number, carmaker or aftermarket? The answer lets you check the price in the table and match the corner.
• Sensor alone, or a hub? If it's a hub, ask whether the sensor is sold on its own for your car.
• How many hours, and is there a diagnostic fee? Hours times the rate should match the labor line on your quote, and any fee should be its own line.

What does an ABS sensor cost on my car?

$6.49 to $141 buys one sensor at the counter for these ten cars, and on nine of them the front and rear sensors are different parts. Find your car and the wheel your code names: the row shows the price range and the cheapest and priciest brand.

$25 or less buys the cheapest listed sensor for every car and wheel in the table except the CR-V's rear, where it starts at $39. Press the See parts button in any row and you'll see every part listed for that car and wheel, with its brand, part number and price.

The 2007 Camry row is for cars built in the US. Toyota gives the Japan-built car different front sensors, and the US part numbers are at the top of that car's list.

How long does an ABS sensor replacement take?

0.4 hours to replace one rear sensor is the only carmaker time we found on a US vehicle, a heavy-duty Ram 3500. No carmaker publishes one for the ten cars here, so ask the shop how many hours its own labor guide shows.

Almost half of shops charge $120 to $159 an hour. A sensor on its own is a small part, so if your quote shows several hours of labor, ask for the reason.

The reason can be real: on some cars the hub has to come off to reach the sensor area. GM says some of its models need the bearing and hub removed just to clean the ring the sensor reads.

The technician's own pay is well below the rate on your bill: the median was $24.34 an hour in May 2025. The shop rate also covers the building, the scan tools and the time nobody bills for, which is why the two figures are so far apart.

Carmaker and federal times 3 documents

• 2019-2024 Ram 3500 diesel pickups, Ram bulletin 05-004-24. Replace one rear wheel speed sensor 0.4 hours, both rears 0.5 hours, plus 0.2 hours with dual rear wheels.
• 2007-2017 GM cars and SUVs, GM bulletin 17-NA-047. Cleaning, not replacing: 0.4 to 1.9 hours a side depending on the model, and some need the bearing and hub removed.
• Automotive technicians, US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Median pay $24.34 an hour, May 2025.

Is it the sensor, the wire or the hub?

The trouble code names the wheel, not the part, so the sensor is only a suspect until a test says otherwise. ABS faults are stored as C codes, separate from the check engine P codes, and GM's C0035 to C0050 each name one wheel.

The test that settles it is the live wheel speed on a scan tool: you drive, and compare the suspect wheel with the other three. Our wheel speed sensor test guide walks through it, and the ABS sensor guide covers the symptoms and where each sensor sits.

If the signal is bad, four things at that wheel can cause it, and only one of them means you buy a new sensor:

• The sensor. Replace yours only after the wire and the ring check out.
• The wire or plug. A harness rubbing on the wheel or twisted at fitting can break inside, and a pigtail repair fixes it.
• The tone ring. It's the magnetic ring the sensor reads. Metal debris on the ring can upset the signal, and cleaning removes it.
• The hub bearing. A damaged ring on the bearing means a new bearing, which is when the hub price is earned.

Cleaning comes before a new part on GM cars with a magnetic ring, 2007-2017: GM says most of these repairs need only cleaning, no new hub or sensor. It's still shop labor, and our guide shows how to clean an ABS sensor.

Before you rely on a free scan at a parts store, ask whether its tool reads ABS codes. A reader that shows only engine codes won't see a C code, so it can't tell you which wheel.

Wire, ring and bearing 3 documents

• 2020 Ford Escape, Ford bulletin 20-2323. Front sensor harness rubbing on the wheel; a pigtail kit, 0.9 hours one side.
• 2016-2017 Chevrolet Volt, GM bulletin 16-NA-090. A mis-routed or twisted front sensor harness damages the wires inside.
• 2007-2017 GM models, GM bulletin 17-NA-047. Debris on the encoder ring sets C0035 to C0050; a damaged ring means a new wheel bearing.

Should you buy an OEM or aftermarket ABS sensor?

Both fit if the part number matches your corner, and what changes is the price. We found no carmaker document that compares aftermarket sensors with its own.

Left and right are different part numbers on some of these cars, the Camry and the Tacoma among them. Some sensors also come with a longer or shorter wire, and the 2007 Camry's front sensors depend on where it was built.

Carmaker parts on three trucks 3 trucks

• 2015 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 4WD. GM Genuine $34 front and $27 rear, the top of both ranges; front sensors are listed with a 31-inch or a 22-3/4-inch wire.
• 2014 Ram 1500 4WD. Mopar $65 front, the top of the range; $34 rear, mid-range.
• 2013 Ford F-150 4WD. Motorcraft $88 front and $81 rear, the top of both ranges.

Can you drive with a bad ABS sensor?

With the amber ABS light alone, yes, carefully: your regular brakes still stop the car, but your wheels can lock in a hard stop. GM's and Kia's bulletins show the traction or stability control light coming on with it, because both systems lean on the same wheel speed signal.

A red BRAKE light with it is different, and the brakes themselves need checking before you drive on. Our ABS light guide sets out what the carmakers' manuals say about the two lights together.

Can you replace an ABS sensor yourself?

If your car's sensor is sold on its own, yes: it's a small part at the wheel, and the part is all you pay for. Your car's listing shows how yours mounts.

Where the sensor is built into the hub, it's a hub and bearing job, where you'll need more tools and a torque wrench. There, replacing the sensor means buying the hub around it, a little like buying a new lamp to replace the bulb.

You'll need a scan tool that reads ABS codes, both to confirm the wheel and to clear the code afterward, as the carmakers' own procedures do. Here's how a DIY ABS sensor replacement goes wrong, from the carmakers' bulletins and the parts listings:

• The wrong side. Left and right are different part numbers on some cars, the Camry and the Tacoma among them, so check the corner on the listing.
• Swapping sensors to find the bad one. Volkswagen told its dealers to stop, because it ground down the ring on the wheel bearing.
• A magnet near the ring. GM warns that a magnet can damage the magnetic encoder ring the sensor reads.
• A wire left loose or twisted. Route yours the way the old one ran, clear of the wheel, or it can break again.

Common questions

Asked most often

How much does an ABS sensor replacement cost?

$314 is the US average for a wheel speed sensor repair, parts and labor. The sensor alone is $6.49 to $141 at the counter on ten popular cars, so the rest of your bill is labor and any extras.

Should you replace one ABS sensor or all four?

One, the sensor the code and the live data point to. Ram's own bulletin prices one rear sensor or both, not all four, and replacing good sensors adds parts and hours to your bill without fixing anything.

Will the ABS light go off after the repair?

The last step of the job is clearing the code with a scan tool, and Ram's replacement procedure ends exactly there. If your light comes back, the fault was elsewhere, such as the wire, the ring or the hub.

Does a new ABS sensor need programming?

None of the replacement procedures we read has a programming step: Ram's goes from fitting the sensor straight to clearing the codes. If your quote adds programming, ask which step needs it.

Will a bad ABS sensor fail a state inspection?

3 states reject a car whose anti-lock light stays on: Maine, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. Our ABS light guide lists what each state's rule says.

Do you need an alignment after replacing an ABS sensor?

No, not for the sensor alone: Ram's sensor labor times carry no alignment. GM adds 0.7 hours of alignment only where the steering knuckle itself is replaced, in a 2018 Malibu program.

Is an ABS sensor the same as a wheel speed sensor?

Yes. Carmakers' bulletins call the part a wheel speed sensor and the system it feeds ABS, so an ABS sensor replacement and a wheel speed sensor replacement are the same job.

Is it the ABS sensor or the ABS module?

Test before you buy either one: a sensor code names one wheel, and that wheel's live speed against the other three shows whether its signal is the problem. A module is a different part with its own price, and it isn't priced here.

Why is the quote so much higher than the part?

$141 was the priciest sensor we found for ten popular cars, so if your quote is in the hundreds, you're paying for labor plus extras: a hub with the sensor built in, a diagnostic fee, wiring or a second wheel. Ask for each line in writing.

Prices are ranges compiled in October 2026 for the US market and vary by region, engine and shop rate. Prices from $10 up are rounded to the nearest dollar, so $14.13 reads as $14 and $14.52 as $15. Below $10 they're exact. This article is general information, not advice about your specific vehicle. See the disclaimer.