5 Signs Your Car’s ECU Is Faulty, Here’s How To Reset It
A car’s Electronic Control Unit (ECU) controls much of the vehicle’s electronic functions like power steering control and automatic emergency braking.
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Is your car dashboard blinking at you like you’re at a rave party? Chances are, there’s something wrong with your beloved car’s electronic control unit (ECU).
An ECU is a small device in your vehicle’s body responsible for controlling the electronic functions in your car like your dashboard, power steering control, automatic emergency braking, windows, and more. You get the gist.
What are the signs of a faulty ECU?
A local repair shop on TikTok Altimat Saujana Utama (@altimatsaujana) shared five signs that indicate your car’s ECU is experiencing issues and they are:
1. Decreased engine performance
A faulty ECU can affect the car engine’s timing, leading to inefficient fuel burn.
2. The car engine sputters
The car engine will sputter from time to time.
3. The Check Engine Light comes on or blinks
When the Check Engine Light comes on or blinks, it means there’s a problem with the sensor or circuit.
4. The car uses a lot of fuel
When there’s a faulty ECU, the car engine faces difficulties in identifying the appropriate fuel rate to be delivered to the engine for the combustion process. This causes the engine to burn more fuel to maintain its usual driving performance.
5. The car refuses to start
The car cannot start because the faulty ECU is unable to send electronic inputs to the engine as usual. However, the car might have trouble starting due to other issues such as a dead battery, a faulty alternator, or a faulty spark plug.
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Is there a way to fix the ECU?
Just like our digital gadgets, the first thing we can do is hit the reset button.
Before sending in your car for repairs, try these two ways to reset the car’s ECU and see if that helps fix the issue.
The first method requires you to disconnect the negative cable of your car battery and leave it for about 10 minutes. After the time has passed, reconnect the negative battery cable and start the engine.
As for the second method, you’ll need to remove the ECU’s fuses and relays and leave them for about 10 minutes. Once the time is up, reconnect them and start the engine.
If all else fails, it’s advisable to take the car to the workshop for further inspection to determine the cause of the problem.
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