Did you just drive through a deep puddle of water?
If so, your vehicle’s electrical system may be wet.
The condition will usually be corrected when
the electrical system dries out. A few driving trips
should turn the light off.
Have you recently changed brands of fuel?
If so, be sure to fuel your vehicle with quality fuel.
See Gasoline Octane on page 365. Poor fuel
quality will cause the engine not to run as
efficiently as designed. You may notice this as
stalling after start-up, stalling when you put
the vehicle into gear, misfiring, hesitation on
acceleration, or stumbling on acceleration. (These
conditions may go away once the engine is
warmed up.) This will be detected by the system
and cause the light to turn on.
If you experience one or more of these conditions,
change the fuel brand you use. It will require at
least one full tank of the proper fuel to turn the
light off.
If none of the above steps have made the light
turn off, your dealer can check the vehicle.
Your dealer has the proper test equipment and
diagnostic tools to fix any mechanical or electrical
problems that may have developed.
Emissions Inspection and Maintenance
Programs
Some state/provincial and local governments have
or may begin programs to inspect the emission
control equipment on your vehicle. Failure to pass
this inspection could prevent you from getting a
vehicle registration.
Here are some things you need to know to help
your vehicle pass an inspection:
Your vehicle will not pass this inspection if the
check engine light is on or not working properly.
To perform a check engine light bulb check with the
keyless ignition, make sure the transmitter fob is in
the passenger compartment. See Ignition Positions
on page 111. Press the bottom of the Acc. button
on the instrument panel and hold the button down
for five seconds. The instrument panel, including
the check engine light, will light up and the ignition
will be on, but the engine will not start — if you
press the bottom of the Acc. button only briefly, less
than five seconds, the accessory power mode will
be turned on, but not the ignition. After the bulb
check, be sure to press and release the Acc. button
again to turn the ignition off and avoid draining the
vehicle’s battery.
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