This past Friday I had to drive through some standing water to get back into my neighborhood. When I came out the other side my dashboard ABS light and the regular Check Brake light came on and have stayed on since then. My brakes seem to be back to normal operation. Do I have to have those lights cleared like Check Engine codes, or did something get messed up by the water?

 

One possibility is the rear wheel ABS speed sensor got wet/messed up.

How deep was the water? Would it have been taller than the rear differential? (Axle pumpkin)
If that water was near/above the height of the rear axle (or, near the height of the fill plug in the axle cover), that definitely could have caused a problem.

Also, if the water was that height, you should drain and re-service the axles (both if 4WD).

 

Thanks for your reply. Yes, the water probably covered the rear differential. As I drove through it I realized it wasn't a smart move but what's done is done. Is there an electronic check that can be performed by Advance or a brake shop to see if a sensor has failed, and if it hasn't at least clear the faults that are causing the lights to stay on?

 

You can try disconnecting the battery, which will clear the codes in the antilock brake computer.
You can pull the codes via grounding out a certain wire, but it differs from model years.

 

I replaced the ABS speed sensor on the rear differential, cleared the codes, ABS and brake lights are off at start-up but as soon as I start moving forward they come back on and stay on. Noticed on the 1st Gen Durango forum there's a lengthy thread on this same topic and it mentions a sensor on the transmission that sometimes fails and causes the lights to come on. Do 1st Gen Dakotas have that same sensor?