2020 Chevy Malibu Check Engine Light

2020 Chevy Malibu Check Engine Light Codes

The check engine light turning on can be quite intimidating to see that little 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 admitted as the OBD (on-board computer diagnostic system) in your Malibu. There are hundreds of particular codes that your check engine light can represent. While that sounds daunting, with a little patience, tackling meaningful diagnostics will give you conducive knowledge about your vehicle and will also allow that Check Engine Light to do what it is really supposed to do: be your guide. Unfortunately, commonplace and helpful vehicle symptoms do not always accompany an illuminated Check Engine Light. Since there are hundreds of attainable OBD codes, there are also hundreds of attainable reasons for the light, including:

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

This is why it is splendid for someone who does not have several of automotive knowledge to not assume what a code means. Call Bill Estes Chevy Indianapolis at 3176435230 today or schedule your check engine light service online today! When your check engine light comes on, you should get it checked out quickly by a certified Chevy mechanic. If the engine light comes on due to a relentless concern, you risk damaging your car additional by not repairing the issue right away.

What Does the Check Engine Light Mean?

One of the most commonly misunderstood lights or indicators in your 2020 Chevy Malibu is the check engine light. The check engine light is part of the onboard diagnostics system, and displays in various extra ways. It can say "Check Engine", it can be a symbol of an engine, it can even be a combination of both. This light lights up in either an amber or red color and is part of the diagnostics system found on your vehicle. Onboard computers increasingly have controlled and monitored vehicle performance since the 80s and do a variety of things for your 2020 Chevy Malibu. 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 fun as your gas cap being loose or as unhealthy as engine knocking. If your check engine light is on in your 2020 Chevy Malibu, contact Bill Estes Chevy Indianapolis. Contact Bill Estes Chevy Indianapolis today! Our Chevy service department can aid you find out what code is turning your check engine light on or diagnose why your check engine light is glaring.

Is it safe to drive your 2020 Chevy Malibu with the check engine light on?

If the check engine light is twinkling, this means that there is a important issue and it is recommended to service your Chevy Malibu immediately. This question is not immensely pure 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 typically indicated by a steady glow of the check engine light. If you notice a difference in the performance of the car, it could be an indication of a more memorable problem. Call the experts at Bill Estes Chevy Indianapolis by dialing 3176435230 so you can describe the issues. Or reduce your speed and bring your 2020 Chevy to our certified mechanics as soon as attainable.

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

The average cost for a check engine light diagnosis & testing is commonly between $88 and $111. The marvelous news, Bill Estes Chevy Indianapolis offers complimentary multi-point inspections and free diagnostics, in most cases, to help represent the cause of your check engine light. The check engine light warns of issues ranging from a gas cap that's not properly tightened to a more precarious failure like a harmful catalytic converter or a problem with one of the car's oxygen sensors, so it marvelous to get the lawful code reading and diagnosis.

Check Engine Light Service 2020 Chevy Malibu

What do you do when you’re driving along in your Chevy Malibu and suddenly, a yellow light lights up on your dash and says "Check Engine". If you’re like most Chevy owners, your heart sinks a little because you have little 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 breath and realize the light coming on doesn’t determine 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 2020 Chevy Malibu checked as soon as likely. Ignoring that warning could end up causing big damage to pricey engine components.

When your 2020 Chevy Malibu's ECM (electronic control module), which is the vehicle's onboard computer, finds a problem in the electronic control system that it can’t good, a computer turns on your check engine light. This amber or yellow light is consistently 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 analyze tool that is used by our Chevy auto repair mechanics at Bill Estes Chevy Indianapolis. There are also a number of relatively inexpensive code readers that are designed for do-it-yourselfers, should you determine that route too. While this code will tell you the issue that is detected, a true diagnosis still requires an skilled professional to read the issue and repair it.

2020 Chevy Malibu Check Engine Light

If the check engine light in your 2020 Chevy Malibu starts flashing, that means that the problem needs brisk attention and your Chevy should be brought in urgently. A flashing light illustrates that the problem is rigid and if not taken care of urgently may result in best damage to the vehicle. This blinking light usually implies a severe engine misfire allowing unburned fuel to be drained into the exhaust system. There it can now raise 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 exactly be the cause. A bad, old or dirty spark plug can cause the engine to misfire. 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 incredibly expensive repair. If your check engine light is flashing, please contact our team of automotive experts at Bill Estes Chevy Indianapolis urgently by calling 3176435230.

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

If you check engine light is flashing, we advocate that you pull over and contact Bill Estes Chevy Indianapolis to help represent if your vehicle is safe to commute in or if we advocate a tow truck. Since each check engine code has its own level of severity, it is difficult to predict how many miles you can commute with the warning light on. It could be anything from a contentious sensor to plug wires needing to be replaced. The safest bet is to decipher the code and then plan your strategy accordingly.

Will the check engine light reset itself?

The check engine light on your 2020 Chevy Malibu will commonly shut itself off if the issue or code that caused it to turn on is serviced. 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 handy, 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 2020 Chevy Malibu 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 Bill Estes Chevy Indianapolis so the light and code can be double-checked and reset.

2020 Chevy Malibu 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 several accepted causes incorporating something as accepted as a loose gas cap. Divergent accepted reasons for a Check Engine Light are faulty head gasket, dirty mass airflow sensor, faulty emissions control part, damaged oxygen sensor, a malfunction with the fuel injection system, or defective spark plugs to name a few. No matter what is the root cause of the Check Engine Light, we have the Chevy Certified Mechanics 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 Chevy issue was repaired.

Every 2020 Chevy Malibu 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 sensors are continually 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 specifically is amiss nor what to do about it. That’s where we come in; Bill Estes Chevy Indianapolis 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 Qualified Service experienced.

What could cause the check engine light to come on in a 2020 Chevy Malibu?

When your check engine light comes on, this could be as simple as tightening or replacing your gas cap. Likewise, the check engine light could also be a warning of a unhealthy problem that could cause unhealthy damage to your engine and come with a notable repair bill. Depending on your make and model, the check engine light will illuminate or blink. A steady glow continually means something less unhealthy but a blinking check engine light indicates that your vehicle’s engine is in unhealthy trouble and service is essential suddenly. If your check engine light is blinking in your 2020 Chevy Malibu, we highly recommend not to drive the vehicle and schedule Chevy service today. Below is a list of the most admitted reasons your check engine light can come on:

• Your 2020 Chevy Malibu has a vacuum leak. Every Chevy Malibu has a vacuum system that performs a wide collection of functions. The vacuum system also helps lower harmful 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 imposing heat or extreme cold.
• One of the most regular and frequent cause is that your 2020 Chevy Malibu gas cap is loose, damaged or missing. The gas cap for your 2020 Chevy Malibu 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 harmful fuel cap? If your gas cap is long-established 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 immediately after you put gas in your 2020 Chevy Malibu, first thing you should check is to make bold the cap isn’t loose — or that it's still on your car’s roof or at the fuel pump.
• New Spark Plugs or Plug Wires are needed for your 2020 Chevy Malibu. The spark plugs are the part of your engine that ignites the air/fuel fluctuate in the combustion chamber of your vehicle. This explosion is what moves the pistons and makes the engine run. The spark plug wires bring the spark from the ignition coil to the spark plugs. If your spark plugs or spark plug wires are harmful or long-established, you will experience meager 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.
• Issues with any aftermarket items. An aftermarket alarm, exhaust or supplemental item can wreak havoc on your 2020 Chevy Malibu if it’s not installed accurately. These aftermarket elements and accessories can drain the battery, trigger the check engine light, or even avoid the vehicle from starting. If these issues sound prevailing, bring your Malibu to Chevy and have our team 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 elements first place might cost a little bit more but could save you money from having to get meager perform and damage caused by meager installation perform corrected.
• 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 faster and your vehicle will be less compelling 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 2020 Chevy Malibu's spark plugs. The O2 sensor sends data to the vehicle’s onboard computer to choose the right fluctuate of air and fuel that enters the cylinders in your engine. A harmful O2 sensor can also cause a car to fail an emissions test.
• Your catalytic converter is harmful or going harmful. The catalytic converter is a part of your 2020 Chevy Malibu’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 Bill Estes Chevy Indianapolis offers a complimentary multi-point inspection with every Chevy service. If you have an issue with your catalytic converter and don't get it fixed, your 2020 Chevy Malibu 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 supplemental problems from overheating.
• Your mass airflow sensor (known as MAF) needs to be replaced. The mass airflow sensor in your Chevy Malibu is what determines how much fuel is needed 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 clear changes, like altitude. If your Chevy Malibu 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 harmful mass airflow sensor.
• The battery is low or dead. The battery in your 2020 Chevy Malibu is every critical. 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 entirely require maintenance. The price of a new one depends on the type of Chevy you travel to work, but check our extant service coupons and specials.