Axle Seals or Bearing?

I had a dealership in Indiana replace a growling drivers side rear wheel bearing in May 2023. They also turned the rotors, as they said they were "very warped". When I picked it up, the wobble during breaking was WAY worse, but I was on vacation and had to head home, so I decided to deal with it later.

In December 2023, I replaced rotors and pads all around. Wobble went away, but ABS lights, 4wd and BMS system are non functioning, as there is a "Brake Controller Error".

Took it to a local dealership, who advised both rear wheel bearings should be replaced, along with ABS sensors and wiring harness (that they broke during inspection). Estimate was $3400. Main issue was identified as a broken ABS sensor and failed wheel.bear9ng that is "leaking". Took the truck, as i dont have any confidence in the dealership - their explanation was weak and thentech just plain pissed me off. I have no sound or other indication of a failed Bearing, but the axle seal is obviously bad, as the inside of the wheel is covered in grease. It is not bad enough to pool on the ground, but is leaking.

They would not cover under warranty, as theybstate the warranty was 12 months/12k miles and I had driven 18k miles at that point.

So - my question is this: could it be just failed axle.seals causing the issue? I replaced the ABS sensor, which resolves the problem until I start driving. My thought is that, the leak has introduced grease between the sensor and the tone ring, causing error in the reading.

Thoughts?

 

Wheel bearings are normally sealed with grease. The axle seal keeps the gear oil within the differential and axle tube but away from the axle bearings. If the seal fail the bearing get wet with oil and will fail shortly. If the tone rings are either incorrectly placed on the axle or get clogged with debris you'll get an ABS code. Sometimes the oil and debris can actually damage the sensor.