Let me clarify something here to clear the air and not cause a stir of panic attacks:

The force to stop the car starts by the driver pressing the brake pedal. That is the ONLY force that can stop the car, regardless of whether the ABS is active or not.

The ABS does not APPLY the brakes under any circumstances, but rather LIMITS the amount of braking to one wheel or the other.

Without the driver actually pressing the brake pedal, the brakes CANNOT engage themselves regardless of the ABS system malfunctions.

The brakes on our car didn't apply by themselves. My boyfriend just pressed on the brakes as if to make a normal stop at a stop sign. When he did the ABS engaged and the little silver box next the parking brake started to buzz, then the ABS light went off after that. I think that is my culprit because the ABS works sometimes, then others it doesn't.

Intermittent ABS is usually attributed to a wheel speed sensor. Disconnect all four of them (behind each hub assembly) and clean the contacts. Reassembly after squirting some dielectric grease (available at any auto parts store) in each connector. This will fix 75% of the intermittent ABS problems out there.

I'll reinforce my point....the ABS system has NO POSSIBLE WAY of APPLYING braking force under any conditions whatsoever. (not directed at the topic author).

"I'll reinforce my point....the ABS system has NO POSSIBLE WAY of APPLYING braking force under any conditions whatsoever."

so, they can't apply themselves? :P

Bob, I'm going to kill you right after I tell you that only on YOUR car can the ABS apply the brakes magically by itself.

There isn't a car in the US that can 'apply the brakes by itself'.

Will: May you get a sunburn from your ABS light.

Well thiers your problem the abs light is take all the power. lol this subjuct isn't reall fun but it make laugh. Self apply brakes,/what if the braking system haunted. Huh huh?

guess what?
My 94 Bonnies SE.. brakes engaged my themselves and i am positive the ABS is the culprit.

I was driving on the freeway.. when my car seemed to slow down irratically and pull to one side and to the other (as happens when u brake to a sudden stop),
miliseconds after the noise of metal rubbing on the pavement or metal rubbin on metal took over... my car still seemed to be braking as im hitting the accelerator. The ABS light came on. If i pressed the brake, it would apply a bit more preassure and help me stop.. but it would not unlock the brakes.
I took the next exit..looked under the car to see if something was had come off and i was dragging it as it was my first reaction, but nothing was haging off.. or was there any signs that something had been..
My second reaction was to check the ABS,cylinder and so on, it appeared to me as if my brakes had locked on and wouldnt let go off the wheels..

Any suggestions on what the problem could be.
The conditions outside are bad.. lots of snow and ice everywhere..
dont know if something might have gotten into the wheels or frozen something...
i will see a dealer and i will get back to you guys

Glad you checked this topic. I was just going to link it from your new topic.

It'* NOT the ABS. The ABS has no power or ability to ENGAGE the brakes. It'* absolutely impossible. Please get this out of your head now, or it'll send you off in the wrong direction.

ABS doesn't engage brakes, it PREVENTS them from engaging. The force to stop is provided by you and the brake booster. The ABS takes that force away from any wheel that locks up when ABS is active.

You need to further dissect the failure. Did it pull to one side or the other? Describe in DETAIL exactly how it happened. Including weather conditions, road conditions, etc.

could it have been a caliper that got stuck because of a ice or snow, and when you pressed on the brakes the system didnt like the signal that it was recieving via the WSS