ABS and traction lights come on

What you're describing sounds exactly like what we used to run into with tvs. Walking across the floor triggered some problem such as flashing brightness. Removing a module to inspect it, then reinstalling it solved the problem for a few weeks. It was due to a light film of corrosion built up on the contacts and weak tension on the spring-loaded contacts. The scratching action of sliding the module out and back in scratched a temporary clean spot but it wasn't a solid connection.

The fact that you've noticed the warning light turns on before even moving the vehicle proves the problem is not related to the signals generated by the wheel speed sensors. It has to be electrical-related. What you might consider is going right to the plugs on the computer to measure the resistance of each wheel speed sensor. Compare the right to the left side. If one circuit is open, leave the ohm meter connected while you work on the appropriate connector by the wheel to see if that affects the reading. Most terminals have a way to remove them from the connector body so you can bend or squeeze something to make a tighter contact. Lightly sand the male terminals and coat the rubber weather-pack seal with dielectric grease.

I'm sorry that I can't get into any of the online service manuals to tell you which wire colors are for which wheel. You might be able to see the wires at the connectors by the sensors to tell which ones to meter with the ohm meter.

Replacing the sensor half of the connector is difficult because the wire is braided to make it flexible like an extension cord, but you got that part with the new sensor anyhow. If the terminals in the vehicle half of the connector are suspect, the dealer has repair kits with just the terminals for every connector on their vehicles. That way you don't have to buy the whole connector or harness.

If you already have the connector, splicing the wires isn't hard but it does take a little time to do a good job. Cut the wires beyond any splash shields to put the splices in a protected area. That will help insure the quality of the repair. Slide about two inches of heat-shrink tubing onto each wire. To splice the ends, don't twist them together like you are going to put a wire nut on them. Instead, hold the bare ends side-by-side, (one wire going each way, not parallel to each other), then twist them around each other to hold them together. Solder 'em, then slide the heat-shrink tubing over the splices and warm it up. If that explanation is as difficult to understand as I think it is, I'd consider adding a page with pictures to my web site.

You can get heat-shrink tubing now with hot-melt glue inside that will seal the splices really well. I first ran into that at the Chrysler dealership I worked at in the '90s, but you can find it now at any auto parts store for lower cost than at the dealerships.

To replace just the terminals you usually need the special crimping pliers. Without that, I've soldered new terminals to the wires before but in some cases the terminals won't fit into the slots if they aren't properly crimped. If you're a regular customer at the dealership, they might borrow you their crimping pliers. Many auto parts stores borrow or rent tools too. If they sell the special terminals, (not just the generic crimp-on terminals), they might have the correct crimping pliers too.

No more turning right from now on!

It's good that you identified something related to the connector problem. If that is the way it was designed, the problem is likely occurring on a lot of this model so there could be a service bulletin on it. Sometimes an improved part is developed. Sometimes there is a patch repair such as your tie strap idea. Normally the connectors are behind a splash shield or to the inside of the inner fender. Besides getting the connector in a dry place, the idea is to have all the flexing done in the soft, flexible wires on the sensor. The wires on the vehicle side of the connector can't tolerate much flexing before they will break.

It doesn't hurt if the connector touches anything, but from what you described, it sounds like there's a lot of flexing going on that's putting twisting pressure on the connector.

I stand corrected, ... Again. I looked at a photo of your wheel bearing and saw the wires for the ABS sensor are really short. Here's a picture from rockauto. Com of the harness you must have replaced. That cable is designed to be flexible. The hint, if you look at the red arrow, are the little squiggles in the wires. It's common for finely braided wires meant for flexing to do that.

You see there's a clip on the wheel bearing half of that connector to attach it to a bracket. The best I can suggest is to be sure that clip is mounted securely so the most flexing is done near the center 80 percent of the cable and as little as possible right next to the connector. You might even look into forming some silicone gasket sealer around the wires next to the connector to stiffen that area up a little. Flexing shouldn't hurt the main part of the wires but they will have a greater tendency to break right at the terminals. Reducing the tendency to flex there might make the entire harness last longer.