Description of the standard trouble OBD codes by family
Standard or generic fault codes are a list of codes common to all manufacturers.
This list of faults, also called DTC (for Data Trouble Code) has been defined so that any diagnostic device can read and decode them. They have a standard format as shown below :
The first letter indicates the family of DTC.
- P: Powertrain, (i.e. engine and gearbox)
- C: Chassis
- B: Body
- U: User network
The first digit indicates if the code is generic or not (green digit):
- 0: Generic fault
- 1: Manufacturer fault
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As the list of generic OBD codes is not always sufficient, manufacturers can add as many of their own codes as they need.
The last 3 digits correspond to an incremented number (purple digits).
This may be a hexadecimal number (i.e. from 0 to 9 + from A to F). For P family codes, sub-families have been defined using the 1st digit (in this example the "3"):
- 0 , 1 and 2: for the air/fuel mixture
- 3 : for the ignition system
- 4 : for checking auxiliary emissions
- 5 : for engine idling
- 6 : for the onboard computer and ancillary outputs
- 7, 8 and 9: for the transmission (gearbox)
- A, B and C : for hybrid propulsion
These OBD codes were standardized using SAE J2012 and ISO 15031-6 standards which, to our knowledge, contain about 11 000 definitions in the most recent version.
Below you will find a list of the most commonly used codes. Our software contains all of the 11 000 codes. Don't hesitate to download it. It is free and, using an ELM327 or ELM323 interface, can be used to read the fault codes. For more details, go to our EOBD-Facile car diagnostic software page.
Select the OBD fault codes range
DTC from P0500 to P0599 (Engine idling control)
| Code | Description |
|---|---|
| P0500 | Vehicle Speed Sensor Malfunction |
| P0501 | Vehicle Speed Sensor Range/Performance |
| P0502 | Vehicle Speed Sensor Circuit Low Input |
| P0503 | Vehicle Speed Sensor Intermittent/Erratic/High |
| P0504 | Brake Switch A / B Correlation |
| P0505 | Idle Control System Malfunction |
| P0506 | Idle Control System RPM lower Than Expected |
| P0507 | Idle Control System RPM higher Than Expected |
| P0508 | Idle Air Control System Circuit Low |
| P0509 | Idle Air Control System Circuit High |
| P0510 | Closed Throttle Position Switch Malfunction |
| P0511 | Idle Air Control Circuit |
| P0512 | Starter Request Circuit |
| P0513 | Incorrect Immobilizer Key |
| P0514 | Battery Temperature Sensor Circuit Range/Performance |
| P0515 | Battery Temperature Sensor Circuit |
| P0516 | Battery Temperature Sensor Circuit Low |
| P0517 | Battery Temperature Sensor Circuit High |
| P0518 | Idle Air Control Circuit Intermittent |
| P0519 | Idle Air Control Circuit System Performance |
| P0520 | Engine Oil Pressure Sensor/Switch Circuit Malfunction |
| P0521 | Engine Oil Pressure Sensor/Switch Range/Performance |
| P0522 | Engine Oil Pressure Sensor/Switch Low Voltage |
| P0523 | Engine Oil Pressure Sensor/Switch High Voltage |
| P0524 | Engine Oil Pressure Too Low |
| P0525 | Cruise Control Servo Control Circuit Range/Performance |
| P0526 | Fan Speed Sensor Circuit |
| P0527 | Fan Speed Sensor Circuit Range/Performance |
| P0528 | Fan Speed Sensor Circuit No Signal |
| P0529 | Fan Speed Sensor Circuit Intermittent |
| P0530 | A/C Refrigerant Pressure Sensor Circuit Malfunction |
| P0531 | A/C Refrigerant Pressure Sensor Circuit Range/Performance |
| P0532 | A/C Refrigerant Pressure Sensor Circuit Low Input |
| P0533 | A/C Refrigerant pressure Sensor Circuit High Input |
| P0534 | Air Conditioner Refrigerant Charge Loss |
| P0535 | A/C Evaporator Temperature Sensor Circuit |
| P0536 | A/C Evaporator Temperature Sensor Circuit Range/Performance |
| P0537 | A/C Evaporator Temperature Sensor Circuit Low |
| P0538 | A/C Evaporator Temperature Sensor Circuit High |
| P0539 | A/C Evaporator Temperature Sensor Circuit Intermittent |
| P0540 | Intake Air Heater A Circuit |
| P0541 | Intake Air Heater A Circuit Low |
| P0542 | Intake Air Heater A Circuit High |
| P0543 | Intake Air Heater A Circuit Open |
| P0544 | Exhaust Gas Temperature Sensor Circuit - Bank 2 Sensor 1 |
| P0545 | Exhaust Gas Temperature Sensor Circuit Low - Bank 2 Sensor 1 |
| P0546 | Exhaust Gas Temperature Sensor Circuit High - Bank 2 Sensor 1 |
| P0547 | Exhaust Gas Temperature Sensor Circuit - Bank 2 Sensor 1 |
| P0548 | Exhaust Gas Temperature Sensor Circuit Low - Bank 2 Sensor 1 |
| P0549 | Exhaust Gas Temperature Sensor Circuit High - Bank 2 Sensor 1 |
| P0550 | Power Steering Pressure Sensor Circuit Malfunction |
| P0551 | Power Steering Pressure Sensor Circuit Range/Performance |
| P0552 | Power Steering Pressure Sensor Circuit Low Input |
| P0553 | Power Steering Pressure Sensor Circuit High Input |
| P0554 | Power Steering Pressure sensor Circuit Intermittent |
| P0555 | Brake Booster Pressure Sensor Circuit |
| P0556 | Brake Booster Pressure Sensor Circuit Range/Performance |
| P0557 | Brake Booster Pressure Sensor Circuit Low Input |
| P0558 | Brake Booster Pressure Sensor Circuit High Input |
| P0559 | Brake Booster Pressure Sensor Circuit Intermittent |
| P0560 | System Voltage Malfunction |
| P0561 | System Voltage Unstable |
| P0562 | System Voltage Low |
| P0563 | System Voltage High |
| P0564 | Cruise Control Multi-Function Input A Circuit |
| P0565 | Cruise Control On Signal Malfunction |
| P0566 | Cruise Control Off Signal Malfunction |
| P0567 | Cruise Control Resume Signal Malfunction |
| P0568 | Cruise Control Set Signal Malfunction |
| P0569 | Cruise Control Coast Signal Malfunction |
| P0570 | Cruise Control Accel Signal Malfunction |
| P0571 | Cruise Control/Brake Switch A Circuit Malfunction |
| P0572 | Cruise Control/Brake Switch A Circuit Low |
| P0573 | Cruise Control/Brake Switch A Circuit High |
| P0574 | Cruise Control System - Vehicle Speed Too High |
| P0575 | Cruise Control Input Circuit |
| P0576 | Cruise Control Input Circuit Low |
| P0577 | Cruise Control Input Circuit High |
| P0578 | Cruise Control Multi-Function Input A Circuit Stuck |
| P0579 | Cruise Control Multi-Function Input A Circuit Range/Performance |
| P0580 | Cruise Control Multi-Function Input A Circuit Low |
| P0581 | Cruise Control Multi-Function Input A Circuit High |
| P0582 | Cruise Control Vacuum Control Circuit /Open |
| P0583 | Cruise Control Vacuum Control Circuit Low |
| P0584 | Cruise Control Vacuum Control Circuit High |
| P0585 | Cruise Control Multi-Function Input A / B Correlation |
| P0586 | Cruise Control Vent Control Circuit / Open |
| P0587 | Cruise Control Vent Control Circuit Low |
| P0588 | Cruise Control Vent Control Circuit High |
| P0589 | Cruise Control Multi-Function Input B Circuit |
| P0590 | Cruise Control Multi-Function Input B Circuit Stuck |
| P0591 | Cruise Control Multi-Function Input B Circuit Range/Performance |
| P0592 | Cruise Control Multi-Function Input B Circuit Low |
| P0593 | Cruise Control Multi-Function Input B Circuit High |
| P0594 | Cruise Control Servo Control Circuit / Open |
| P0595 | Cruise Control Servo Control Circuit Low |
| P0596 | Cruise Control Servo Control Circuit High |
| P0597 | Thermostat Heater Control Circuit / Open |
| P0598 | Thermostat Heater Control Circuit Low |
| P0599 | Thermostat Heater Control Circuit High |