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Will My Car Pass the Smog Test with a Pending Trouble Code?

My vehicle recently has undergone extensive repairs. The check engine light was on. After repairs I drove the vehicle through 3 to 5 drive cycles. The CEL turned off and all the emission monitors have now be set... completed. What I noticed however (with my scan tool) is that there is still one Pending OBD-II trouble code. Will I pass the smog check if all the OBD monitors show ready and the CEL is not on? Or do I need to clear the pending trouble code and start over with the readiness monitors (drive cycle)? Thanks.

Answer:

Soft (pending) trouble codes... The short answer is yes. Your vehicle can pass the smog check with a pending trouble code, so long as the check engine light is not illuminated and the required emission monitors are ready. A pending trouble code may set for diagnostic purposes and will not illuminate the check engine light. Pending codes can be set for many different reasons and that does not mean the component in question is likely to fail soon. Your vehicle's ECM may have noticed an irregular input and will continue to monitor the system to see if the irregularity is permanent. Hard (confirmed) trouble codes... After 3 consecutive drive cycles, when the ECM no longer detects a fault(s), the MIL (malfunction indicator lamp/check engine light) will turn off. Pending Trouble Code Clearance... Type A code - Code will remain pending until 80 warm up cycles. Type B code - Code will remain pending until 40 warm up cycles. posted by SmogTips Support

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