Cadillac Repair: anti-lock brakes, antilock brake system, eldo

Question
My mothers car is a 1996 Cadillac, I don't know the model. She has been told, the anti lock brakes are going out.The brake pedal makes a loud noise at times when pressed. She is concerned, that if not repaired, she might loose her brakes when engaged. She is on a limited income, and doesn't have the funds for repair. Could she lose her brakes all together, if the anti lock brake is not repaired. Thank you

Answer
Hi Sharon, For awhile Caddy had an antilock brake system called Teves that had aprox 10 pedal pushes when the red brake light came on and then the brakes would go to manual and it was very hard to stop. If you have an eldo, seville or deville they have a differant system that unless air gets in the lines the car will stop but you would be able to lock up the wheels like on non abs vehicles. If the RED brake light comes on that means that you need to get the car in for an inspection right away because the car might not stop. If the amber abs or antilock light turns on it is still important to get the car in but you shouldn't loose brakeing ability. At worst you will have to pump the brake pedal or it will lock the brakes up and skid just like in the early 80's and prior. As for the noise it is kind of tough to diagnos with out hearing and my recommendation would be to google over to iatn.com and search for a tech or shop in your area and have them determine what needs to be done. The techs that belong to this group are highly trained and shouldn't sell you something that isn't needed and will let you know what will happen if you don't fix the abs problem. If you haven't done so post this question to autohelp and get another opinion. Let me know how it turns out and Happy Holidays. Bill