My Kitty just turned 100k mi and came down with an ABS Fault/DSC Not Available ailment. First I felt a hard grinding in the brakes, then the warning light came on. So, my question is -- since abs/dsc is not part of the basic brake system, can I just ignore it like a check engine light and keep driving it without causing long-term harm? Because this happened at the beginning of a trip, I was able to complete the 30mi trip and returned home safely...with the warning light on all the way.

Cheers,
Wolfy

 

It is safe to drive, obviously you have no ABS.
Fixing it can be a question of cleaning the wheel sensors or mending the ABS module.
Search the Forum and you'll find lots of threads.
The CEL is trying to tell you something - it isn't a 'time for service' light, it means something's wrong and you need to read the codes and fix it.

 

+1 on Steves advice, don't ignore the check engine light.