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What Does the Check Engine Light Mean?

One of the most constantly misunderstood lights or indicators in your 2021 Toyota Tundra is the check engine light. The check engine light is part of the onboard diagnostics system, and displays in a few assorted ways. It can say "Check Engine", it can be a symbol of an engine, it can even be a combination of both. This light illuminates in either an amber or red color and is part of the diagnostics system found on your car. Onboard computers increasingly have controlled and monitored car performance since the 80s and do a variety of things for your 2021 Toyota Tundra. Some of these include ignition timing, controlling engine speed, shifting automatic transmissions and implementing stability control, just to name a few. With that being said, the check engine light can mean a variety of divergent things. It can be as accepted as your gas cap being loose or as stringent as engine knocking. If your check engine light is on in your 2021 Toyota Tundra, contact Nalley Toyota of Roswell. Our Toyota service department can help you find out what code is turning your check engine light on or audit why your check engine light is flashing. Contact Nalley Toyota of Roswell today!

2021 Toyota Tundra Check Engine Light Codes

The check engine light turning on can be quite intimidating to see that miniature light on your vehicle’s dashboard suddenly illuminates, but in reality, it is not something that should cause you to shut down in fear right away. If you hear the term, diagnostic trouble codes (DTC), these are just another name for check engine light codes. These are automotive computer codes stored by the ECM, also contractual as the OBD (on-board computer diagnostic system) in your Tundra. There are hundreds of distinct codes that your check engine light can represent. While that sounds daunting, with a miniature patience, tackling specific diagnostics will give you instinctive knowledge about your vehicle and will also allow that Check Engine Light to do what it is genuinely supposed to do: be your guide. Sadly, handy and satisfying vehicle symptoms do not always accompany an illuminated Check Engine Light. Since there are hundreds of handy OBD codes, there are also hundreds of handy reasons for the light, including:

  • Fuel and air metering systems problems
  • Ignition system faults
  • O2 Sensor
  • Emissions controls issues
  • Bad Spark Plugs
  • Old Battery
  • Loose Gas Cap or Missing Gas Cap
  • Transmission issues
  • Computer output circuit issues

This is why it is fundamental for someone who does not have a lot of automotive knowledge to not assume what a code means. If the engine light comes on due to a applicable concern, you risk damaging your car further by not repairing the issue right away. When your check engine light comes on, you should get it checked out rapidly by a certified Toyota mechanic. Call Nalley Toyota of Roswell at 7707637398 today or schedule your check engine light service online today!

Will the check engine light reset itself?

The check engine light on your 2021 Toyota Tundra will commonly shut itself off if the issue or code that caused it to turn on is fixed. For example, if the cause of your check engine light coming on was a loose gas cap, if it's tightened, the light will turn itself off. Likewise, if your catalytic converter is going correct, and you did a lot of stop-and-go driving, that may have turned on the check engine light due to the high usage of the converter. In most cases, your 2021 Toyota Tundra light will go off after about 20-40 miles. If you drive over that amount and the light is still on, you will need to bring it in to Nalley Toyota of Roswell so the light and code can be double-checked and reset.

What could cause the check engine light to come on in a 2021 Toyota Tundra?

When your check engine light comes on, this could be as realistic as tightening or replacing your gas cap. Likewise, the check engine light could also be a warning of a severe problem that could cause severe damage to your engine and come with a awesome repair bill. Depending on your make and model, the check engine light will illuminate or blink. A steady glow consistently means something less severe but a flashing check engine light indicates that your vehicle’s engine is in severe trouble and service is imperative expeditiously. If your check engine light is flashing in your 2021 Toyota Tundra, we highly recommend not to drive the vehicle and schedule Toyota service today. Below is a list of the most classic reasons your check engine light can come on:

  • Your mass airflow sensor (known as MAF) needs to be interchanged. The mass airflow sensor in your Toyota Tundra is what determines how much fuel is crucial to run your engine efficiently by measuring the deposit of air entering the engine. As a part of the engine management system, the mass airflow sensor helps adjust to functional changes, like altitude. If your Toyota Tundra is having trouble starting, idling rough or has a sudden change in the position of the throttle pedal, this could be a sign of a bad mass airflow sensor.
  • Your catalytic converter is bad or going bad. The catalytic converter is a part of your 2021 Toyota Tundra’s exhaust system. The catalytic converter's function is to turn the carbon monoxide created by the combustion process into carbon dioxide. A damaged catalytic converter is usually caused by neglected maintenance, which is why Nalley Toyota of Roswell offers a complimentary multi-point inspection with every Toyota service. If you have an issue with your catalytic converter and don't get it repaired, your 2021 Toyota Tundra will not pass an emissions test, show a lack of engine performance and will negatively affect your fuel economy. Your car may run at a higher temperature, too, which can cause contrasting problems from overheating.
  • Issues with any aftermarket items. An aftermarket alarm, exhaust or contrasting item can wreak havoc on your 2021 Toyota Tundra if it’s not installed perfectly. These aftermarket parts and accessories can drain the battery, trigger the check engine light, or even prevent the vehicle from starting. If these issues sound commonplace, bring your Tundra to Toyota and have our unit of certified mechanics ensure that your aftermarket items were installed correctly and aren't causing any issue. Getting accessories, especially aftermarket parts and accessories, or using OEM parts original place might price a little bit more but could save you money from having to get poor work and damage caused by poor installation work corrected.
  • The battery is low or dead. The battery in your 2021 Toyota Tundra is every essential. Without a car battery, your car won’t start, light up the road ahead, play the radio or charge your phone. Today’s car batteries last much longer than they did a few decades ago, and they don't completely require maintenance. The estimate of a new one depends on the type of Toyota you drive, but check our current service coupons and specials.
  • One of the most simple and several cause is that your 2021 Toyota Tundra gas cap is loose, damaged or missing. The gas cap for your 2021 Toyota Tundra serves multiple purposes. It prevents gas fumes from being released when you aren't driving, it seals the fuel system and helps maintain pressure within the fuel tank. What happens if you have a bad fuel cap? If your gas cap is traditional or has a ruptured seal, you can lose fuel through evaporation which will result in more trips to the pump. Luckily, to replace a gas cap isn't expensive. If your check engine light turns on quickly after you put gas in your 2021 Toyota Tundra, original thing you should check is to make positive the cap isn’t loose — or that it's still on your car’s roof or at the fuel pump.
  • Your O2 Sensor (Oxygen Sensor) needs to be interchanged. The Oxygen sensor, known as the O2 sensor, measures the deposit of oxygen in your exhaust system. If there is excess oxygen in your exhaust system, fuel burns faster and your vehicle will be less persuasive when it comes to fuel economy. So what happens if I don’t replace your O2 sensor? A faulty sensor can not only affect your miles per gallon, but it can cause damage to your catalytic converter and your 2021 Toyota Tundra's spark plugs. The O2 sensor sends data to the vehicle’s onboard computer to determine the right mixture of air and fuel that enters the cylinders in your engine. A bad O2 sensor can also cause a car to fail an emissions test.
  • Your 2021 Toyota Tundra has a vacuum leak. Every Toyota Tundra has a vacuum system that performs a wide variety of functions. The vacuum system also helps lower aggressive emissions by routing the fumes as gasoline evaporates through the engine. If you notice that your RPM is high in idle or randomly surges, a vacuum leak could be the cause. Over time, vacuum hoses can dry out and crack, especially if they’re exposed to exciting heat or extreme bleak.
  • New Spark Plugs or Plug Wires are crucial for your 2021 Toyota Tundra. The spark plugs are the part of your engine that ignites the air/fuel mixture in the combustion chamber of your vehicle. This explosion is what moves the pistons and makes the engine run. The spark plug wires deliver the spark from the ignition coil to the spark plugs. If your spark plugs or spark plug wires are bad or traditional, you will experience poor performance and reduced power. In some extreme cases, your engine will have trouble starting or continuing to run. Worn spark plugs and plug wires can cause clogged catalytic converter or damage to ignition coils and O2 sensors, considerable to more expensive repairs.

2021 Toyota Tundra Check Engine Light Flashing

Although there are many feasible causes of an illuminated Check Engine Light, we know from years of providing Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that there are copious uncomplicated causes including something as uncomplicated as a loose gas cap. Substitute uncomplicated reasons for a Check Engine Light are faulty emissions control part, faulty head gasket, damaged oxygen sensor, a malfunction with the fuel injection system, dirty mass airflow sensor, or defective spark plugs to name a few. No matter what is the root cause of the Check Engine Light, we have the Toyota Certified Technicians and the certified service protocol to isolate the root problem and repair it as needed to restore factory specifications. When this happens, the Check Engine Light turns off, and you can leave the service center knowing that your Toyota issue was fixed.

Every 2021 Toyota Tundra was designed with a high-technology performance monitoring system with a computer, and a series of sensors positioned strategically throughout the vehicle on its laborious systems. The sensors are usually detecting conditions while sending data to the electronic control unit. If the electronic control unit detects that the data is out of factory specifications, the Check Engine Light illuminates telling you that there is a problem. However, that is the limitation of the Check Engine Light – it won’t tell you what exactly is awry nor what to do about it. That’s where we come in; Nalley Toyota of Roswell provides a Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that isolates the core problem and gives you a recommendation on what to do next from a Very Qualified Service adequate.

How much does it cost to get the engine light checked?

The check engine light warns of issues ranging from a gas cap that's not subsequently tightened to a more risky failure like a bad catalytic converter or a problem with one of the car's oxygen sensors, so it gargantuan to get the appropriate code reading and diagnosis. The average cost for a check engine light diagnosis & testing is typically between $88 and $111. The gargantuan news, Nalley Toyota of Roswell offers complimentary multi-point inspections and free diagnostics, in most cases, to assist learn the cause of your check engine light.

2021 Toyota Tundra Check Engine Light

A shining light indicates that the problem is dangerous and if not taken care of instantly may result in major damage to the vehicle. If the check engine light in your 2021 Toyota Tundra starts shining, that means that the problem needs sudden attention and your Toyota should be brought in instantly. This shining light commonly implies a rigid engine misfire allowing unburned fuel to be ejected into the exhaust system. There it can suddenly surge the temperature of the catalytic converter to a point where damage is likely, requiring an expensive repair. Some owners ask if spark plugs cause the check engine light to flash? This can entirely be the cause. A damaging, common or dirty spark plug can cause the engine to misfire. If your check engine light is flashing, please contact our team of automotive advisors at Nalley Toyota of Roswell immediately by calling 7707637398. If the problem is ignored or you continue to drive, this can spread to the spark plug wires, catalytic converter, or ignition coils which can lead to a particularly expensive repair.

Check Engine Light Service 2021 Toyota Tundra

What do you do when you’re driving along in your Toyota Tundra and suddenly, a yellow light illuminates on your dash and says "Check Engine". If you’re like most Toyota owners, your heart sinks a slight because you have slight idea about what that light is trying to tell you or how you should react. The fear of the unknown (or the price of the unknown) can be just as stressful. But take a deep breath and realize the light coming on doesn’t mean you have to pull the automobile over to the side of the road and call a tow truck, but it is recommended that you get your 2021 Toyota Tundra checked as soon as functional. Ignoring that warning could end up causing profound damage to fancy engine components.

When your 2021 Toyota Tundra's ECM (electronic control module), which is the vehicle's onboard computer, finds a problem in the electronic control system that it can’t slight, a computer turns on your check engine light. This amber or yellow light is typically labeled “check engine” or “service engine soon”, or the light may be nothing more than a picture of an engine, or a picture of the engine with the word “check.”

When the light turns on, the ECM stores an engine code or “trouble code” in its memory that identifies as the issue, whether it's a sensor or a failing engine part. This code is read with an electronic scan tool that is used by our Toyota auto repair mechanics at Nalley Toyota of Roswell. There are also a number of relatively inexpensive code readers that are designed for do-it-yourselfers, should you designate that route too. While this code will tell you the issue that is detected, a true diagnosis still requires an experienced trained to designate the issue and repair it.

Is it safe to drive your 2021 Toyota Tundra with the check engine light on?

If the check engine light is flashing, this means that there is a unhealthy issue and it is recommended to service your Toyota Tundra expeditiously. This question is not especially simple because it all depends on the severity of the issue. If the cause is a minor issue, such as a loose gas cap, it should be dependable to commute. This is frequently indicated by a steady glow of the check engine light. If you notice a difference in the performance of the vehicle, it could be an indication of a more unhealthy problem. Call the experts at Nalley Toyota of Roswell by dialing 7707637398 so you can describe the issues. Or reduce your speed and transport your 2021 Toyota to our certified mechanics as soon as attainable.

How many miles can you drive with the check engine light?

The safest bet is to decipher the code and then plan your strategy accordingly. Since each check engine code has its own level of severity, it is severe to predict how many miles you can drive with the warning light on. It could be anything from a bad sensor to plug wires needing to be replaced. If you check engine light is flashing, we recommend that you pull over and contact Nalley Toyota of Roswell to help read if your vehicle is safe to drive in or if we recommend a tow truck.