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Understanding Car Issues

When I began thinking more seriously about car issues, it occurred to me that there were a few things I needed to do if I wanted to make things easier for myself in the long run. For starters, I began taking my car in for regular auto service, which really helped out. It was really interesting to see how many different things had to be fixed every time I went in, but when my car didn't have as many problems, I could tell that it was really paying off. This website is all about understanding and preventing car problems by making better choices.

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Understanding Car Issues

How To Identify A Faulty Vehicle Control Module In Your Car

by Micheal Barrett

Your car has a vehicle control module, which has the purpose of controlling many accessories in your vehicle that are powered by electricity. This includes your locks, windshield wipers, power seats, lights, radio, windows, and more. The vehicle control module can be found in various locations, however, it is inside the vehicle rather than under the hood. Since there are so many things that can stop working when the vehicle control module becomes faulty, you'll want to know how you can tell if you have an issue with this important part.

Check Engine Light

A check engine light is an obvious sign that something is not quite right with your vehicle. Unfortunately, it is hard for the typical car owner to be able to tell what this means. You'll have to take your car to a local mechanic to connect a special computer to your vehicle to identify what error code is triggering the warning light.

A common error code to look out for is U0140, which says that the vehicle control module has lost communication with the vehicle. A mechanic will start looking at basic things that could trigger this problem that are not a problem with the module itself, such as frayed wires or corroded connections. This is the cheapest and easiest fix to a problem with the vehicle control module, so it makes sense to start there first. 

Accessories Not Working

If the vehicle control module is not working, then it makes sense that accessories are not working as they should with your vehicle. However, it can lead to accessories turning on and off that are not intended. For example, rolling down the window may also trigger the power mirrors to move, or turning on your turn signal triggers your windshield wipers. In general, the accessories can appear to be dysfunctional with no clear reason as to why it is happening. This problem can also happen intermittently.

You can also have a problem where certain accessories just stop working while others work perfectly fine. A single bad accessory may indicate that the problem is with the accessory itself. Having multiple accessories that stop working at the same time is an indication that the vehicle control module is to blame for the problem.

Feel like you're having problems with your vehicle control module? Take your car to a local auto repair shop that can diagnose and repair the problem for you.   

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