Toyota Corolla Hatchback Check Engine Light

Is it safe to drive your Toyota Corolla Hatchback with the check engine light on?

If the check engine light is flashing, this means that there is a serious issue and it is recommended to service your Toyota Corolla Hatchback swiftly. This question is not very 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 safe to drive. This is generally 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 serious problem. Call the experts at Stevinson Toyota West by dialing 7209029966 so you can describe the issues. Or lessen your speed and bring your Toyota to our certified mechanics as soon as likely.

Toyota Corolla Hatchback Check Engine Light

A flashing light indicates that the problem is very serious and if not taken care of immediately may result in considerable and meaningful damage to the vehicle. If the check engine light in your Toyota Corolla Hatchback starts flashing, that means that the problem needs attention immediately and your Toyota should be brought in promptly. This blinking light normally indicates a severe engine misfire allowing unburned fuel to be dumped into the exhaust system. There it can immediately raise the temperature of the catalytic converter to a point where damage is likely, requiring an expensive and extensive repair. Some owners ask if spark plugs cause the check engine light to flash? This can explicitly be the cause. A damaged, old or dirty spark plug can cause the engine to misfire. If the problem is totally ignored or you continue to drive, this can spread to the spark plug wires, catalytic converter, or ignition coils which can lead to a very expensive repair. If your check engine light is consistently flashing, please contact our team of automotive experts at Stevinson Toyota West instantly by calling 7209029966.

What Does the Check Engine Light Mean?

One of the most ordinarily misunderstood lights or indicators in your Toyota Corolla Hatchback is the check engine light. The check engine light is part of the vital onboard diagnostics system, and displays in a wide range of different 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 wide range of things for your Toyota Corolla Hatchback. Some of these essential duties include shifting automatic transmissions controlling engine speed, ignition timing, and implementing cohesion control, just to name a few. With that being said, the check engine light can mean a variety of different things. It can be as simple as your gas cap being loose or as dangerous as engine knocking. If your check engine light is on in your Toyota Corolla Hatchback, contact Stevinson Toyota West. Contact Stevinson Toyota West today! Our Toyota service department can support you find out what code is turning your check engine light on or diagnose why your check engine light is flashing.

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 accurately tightened to a more serious failure like a bad catalytic converter or a problem with one of the car's oxygen sensors, so it good to get the correct code reading and diagnosis. The average cost for a check engine light diagnosis & testing is ordinarily between $88 and $111. The good news, Stevinson Toyota West offers totally complimentary multi-point inspections and free diagnostics, in most cases, to help determine the cause of your check engine light.

Check Engine Light Service Toyota Corolla Hatchback

What do you do when you’re driving along in your Toyota Corolla Hatchback and suddenly, a yellow light illuminates on your dash and says "Check Engine". If you’re like most Toyota owners, your heart sinks extremely because you may have absolutely idea about what that light is trying to tell you or how you should react. The fear of the unknown (or the cost of the unknown) can be just as stressful. But take a deep, peaceful breath and realize the light coming on doesn’t mean you have to pull the car over to the side of the road and call a tow truck, but it is advised that you get your Toyota Corolla Hatchback checked instantly. Ignoring that warning could end up causing major, considerable damage to pricey engine parts.

When your Toyota Corolla Hatchback's ECM (electronic control module), which is the vehicle's onboard computer, finds a problem in the electronic control system that it can’t right, 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 can quickly identify 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 Stevinson Toyota West. There are again a number of comparatively inexpensive code readers that are designed for do-it-yourselfers, should you choose that route too. While this code will tell you the issue that is detected, a true diagnosis still requires an experienced professional to determine the absolutely right issue and repair it.

Will the check engine light reset itself?

The check engine light on your Toyota Corolla Hatchback will normally shut itself off if the issue or code that caused it to turn on is fixed. For instance, if the cause of your check engine light coming on was a loose gas cap, if it's tightened, the light will expeditiously turn itself off. Again, if your catalytic converter is working perfectly, 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 Toyota Corolla Hatchback 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 Stevinson Toyota West so the light and code can be double-checked and reset.

Toyota Corolla Hatchback Check Engine Light Codes

The check engine light turning on can be quite intimidating, especially to see that little light on your vehicle’s dashboard suddenly illuminate, 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, again known as the OBD (on-board computer diagnostic system) in your Corolla Hatchback. There are hundreds of different codes that your check engine light can accurately represent. While that sounds daunting, with a little patience, tackling basic diagnostics will give you helpful knowledge about your vehicle and will again allow that important Check Engine Light to do what it is really supposed to do: be your guide. Unfortunately, evident and helpful vehicle symptoms do not regularly accompany an illuminated Check Engine Light. Since there are hundreds of imaginable OBD codes, there are again hundreds of imaginable reasons for the light, including:

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

This is why it is important for someone who does not have a lot of prevalent automotive knowledge to not assume what a code means. If the engine light comes on due to a serious 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 instantly by a adept certified Toyota mechanic. Call Stevinson Toyota West at 7209029966 today or schedule your check engine light service online today!

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

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

What could cause the check engine light to come on in a Toyota Corolla Hatchback?

When your check engine light comes on, this could be as simple as tightening or replacing your gas cap. Again, the check engine light could likewise be a warning of a significant problem that could cause serious damage to your engine and come with a hefty and pricey repair bill. Depending on your make and model, the check engine light will illuminate or blink. A steady and continuous glow typically means something less serious but a flashing check engine light indicates that your vehicle’s engine is in serious trouble and useful service is necessary expeditiously. If your check engine light is flashing in your Toyota Corolla Hatchback, we extremely advise not to drive the vehicle and schedule Toyota service today. Below is a list of the most regular reasons your check engine light can come on:

• New Spark Plugs or Plug Wires are necessary for your Toyota Corolla Hatchback. 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 smooth. 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 old, you will undergo a evident poor performance and decreased power. In some extreme cases, your engine will have trouble starting or continuing to run. Worn spark plugs and plug wires can cause obstructed catalytic converter or damage to ignition coils and O2 sensors, leading to more costly repairs.
• Your Toyota Corolla Hatchback has a vacuum leak. Each Toyota Corolla Hatchback has a vacuum system that performs a wide variety of functions. The vacuum system likewise helps lower unhealthy 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, particularly if they’re exposed to intense heat or extreme cold.
• Your mass airflow sensor (known as MAF) needs to be replaced. The mass airflow sensor in your Toyota Corolla Hatchback is what determines how much fuel is necessary to run your engine efficiently by measuring the amount of air entering the engine. As a part of the engine management system, the mass airflow sensor helps adjust to certain changes, like altitude. If your Toyota Corolla Hatchback is having trouble starting, idling rough or has a sudden rapid replace in the position of the throttle pedal, this could be a critical sign of a damaged mass airflow sensor.
• Your O2 Sensor (Oxygen Sensor) needs to be replaced. The Oxygen sensor, known as the O2 sensor, measures the amount of oxygen in your exhaust system. If there is excess oxygen in your exhaust system, fuel burns more quickly and your vehicle will be less efficient when it comes to fuel economy. So what occurs if I don’t change your O2 sensor? A damaged sensor can not only affect your miles per gallon, but it can cause meaningful damage to your catalytic converter and your Toyota Corolla Hatchback's spark plugs. The O2 sensor sends data to the vehicle’s onboard computer to determine the definitely correct mixture of air and fuel that enters the cylinders in your engine. A damaged O2 sensor can likewise cause a vehicle to fail an emissions test.
• One of the most regular and frequent cause is that your Toyota Corolla Hatchback gas cap is loose, damaged or missing. The gas cap for your Toyota Corolla Hatchback serves multiple purposes. It prevents hazardous gas fumes from being released when you aren't driving, it seals the fuel system and helps manage pressure within the fuel tank. What occurs if you have a damaged fuel cap? If your gas cap is old or has a ruptured seal, you can lose fuel through evaporation which will result in more trips to the pump and be more pricey. Luckily, to change a gas cap isn't costly. If your check engine light turns on swiftly after you put gas in your Toyota Corolla Hatchback, first thing you should check is to make sure the cap isn’t loose — or that it's still on your car’s roof or at the fuel pump.
• Issues with any aftermarket items. An aftermarket alarm, exhaust or other item can wreak extreme havoc on your Toyota Corolla Hatchback if it’s not installed perfectly. These aftermarket parts and accessories can drain the battery, trigger the check engine light, or even impede the vehicle from starting. If these issues sound familiar, bring your Corolla Hatchback to Toyota and have our team of talented certified mechanics ensure that your aftermarket items were installed accurately and aren't causing any issue. Getting accessories, particularly aftermarket parts and accessories, or using OEM parts first place might cost a little bit more but could assist you save substantially from having to get poor work and damage caused by poor installation work corrected.
• Your catalytic converter is bad or going bad. The catalytic converter is a part of your Toyota Corolla Hatchback’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 ordinarily caused by constantly neglected maintenance, which is why Stevinson Toyota West offers a free multi-point inspection with each Toyota service. If you have an issue with your catalytic converter and don't get it repaired, your Toyota Corolla Hatchback will not pass an emissions test, show a lack of engine performance and will negatively affect your fuel economy. Your vehicle may run at a higher temperature, too, which can cause other delicate problems from overheating.
• The battery is low or dead. The battery in your Toyota Corolla Hatchback is each vital. Without a vehicle battery, your vehicle won’t start, light up the road in front, play the radio or charge your phone. Today’s vehicle batteries last much longer than they did a few decades ago, and they don't really require maintenance. The price of a new one depends on the type of Toyota you drive, but check our current service coupons and specials.

Toyota Corolla Hatchback Check Engine Light Flashing

Although there are countless potential causes of an illuminated Check Engine Light, we know from years of providing Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that there are many regular causes including something as simple as a loose gas cap. Other usually regular reasons for a Check Engine Light are a malfunction with the fuel injection system, defective emissions control part, defective head gasket, dirty mass airflow sensor, damaged oxygen 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 Mechanics and the certified service protocol to isolate the root problem and totally repair it as needed to restore factory specifications. When this hits, the Check Engine Light turns off, and you can leave the service center knowing that your Toyota issue was totally fixed.

Every Toyota Corolla Hatchback was designed with a high-technology performance monitoring system with a computer, and a series of sensors positioned strategically throughout the vehicle on its crucial systems. The quick sensors are continually detecting conditions while sending important 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. Nonetheless, sadly that is the limitation of the Check Engine Light – it won’t tell you what definitely is wrong nor what to do about it. That’s where we come in; Stevinson Toyota West provides a Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that isolates the core problem and gives you a recommendation on what to do next from a Highly Knowledgeable Service professional.