2018 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid Check Engine Light

Check Engine Light Service 2018 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid

What do you do when you’re driving along in your Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid and suddenly, a yellow light illuminates on your dash and says "Check Engine". If you’re like most Subaru owners, your heart sinks extremely because you may have precisely 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, serene 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 suggested that you get your 2018 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid checked expeditiously. Ignoring that warning could end up causing major, huge damage to pricey engine components.

When your 2018 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid's ECM (electronic control module), which is the vehicle's onboard computer, finds a problem in the electronic control system that it can’t appropriate, 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 promptly 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 Subaru auto repair mechanics at Larry H. Miller Subaru Boise. There are likewise a number of essentially inexpensive code readers that are designed for do-it-yourselfers, should you pick 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.

What Does the Check Engine Light Mean?

One of the most ordinarily misunderstood lights or indicators in your 2018 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid is the check engine light. The check engine light is part of the important 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 vehicle. Onboard computers increasingly have controlled and monitored vehicle performance since the 80s and do a wide range of things for your 2018 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid. Some of these essential duties include ignition timing, shifting automatic transmissions controlling engine speed, and implementing stability 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 2018 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid, contact Larry H. Miller Subaru Boise. Contact Larry H. Miller Subaru Boise today! Our Subaru service department can assist you find out what code is turning your check engine light on or diagnose why your check engine light is flashing.

What could cause the check engine light to come on in a 2018 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid?

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 still be a warning of an essential problem that could cause serious damage to your engine and come with a hefty and expensive repair bill. Depending on your make and model, the check engine light will illuminate or blink. A steady and continuous glow generally means something less serious but a flashing check engine light signifies that your vehicle’s engine is in serious trouble and useful service is required swiftly. If your check engine light is flashing in your 2018 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid, we exceptionally advise not to drive the car and schedule Subaru service today. Below is a list of the most common reasons your check engine light can come on:

• New Spark Plugs or Plug Wires are required for your 2018 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid. The spark plugs are the part of your engine that ignites the air/fuel mixture in the combustion chamber of your car. 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 experience a noticeable 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 expensive repairs.
• The battery is low or dead. The battery in your 2018 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid is every vital. Without a car battery, your car won’t start, light up the road in front, 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 absolutely require maintenance. The price of a new one depends on the type of Subaru you drive, but check our current service coupons and specials.
• Issues with any aftermarket items. An aftermarket alarm, exhaust or other item can wreak extreme havoc on your 2018 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid if it’s not installed accurately. These aftermarket components and accessories can drain the battery, trigger the check engine light, or even impede the car from starting. If these issues sound familiar, bring your Crosstrek Hybrid to Subaru and have our team of talented certified mechanics ensure that your aftermarket items were installed properly and aren't causing any issue. Getting accessories, especially aftermarket parts and accessories, or utilizing OEM components first place might cost a little bit more but could support you save considerably from having to get poor work and damage caused by poor installation work corrected.
• Your mass airflow sensor (known as MAF) needs to be replaced. The mass airflow sensor in your Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid is what determines how much fuel is required 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 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid is having trouble starting, idling rough or has a sudden rapid change in the position of the throttle pedal, this could be a vital sign of a defective mass airflow sensor.
• Your catalytic converter is bad or going bad. The catalytic converter is a part of your 2018 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid’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 repeatedly neglected maintenance, which is why Larry H. Miller Subaru Boise offers a complimentary multi-point check with every Subaru service. If you have an issue with your catalytic converter and don't get it repaired, your 2018 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid 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 other perilous problems from overheating.
• Your 2018 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid has a vacuum leak. Every Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid has a vacuum system that performs a wide variety of functions. The vacuum system likewise 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 intense heat or extreme cold.
• 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 instantly and your car will be less efficient when it comes to fuel economy. So what results if I don’t replace your O2 sensor? A defective sensor can not only affect your miles per gallon, but it can cause meaningful damage to your catalytic converter and your 2018 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid's spark plugs. The O2 sensor sends data to the vehicle’s onboard computer to determine the precisely correct mixture of air and fuel that enters the cylinders in your engine. A defective O2 sensor can likewise cause a car to fail an emissions test.
• One of the most common and frequent cause is that your 2018 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid gas cap is loose, damaged or missing. The gas cap for your 2018 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid serves various purposes. It prevents hazardous gas fumes from being released when you aren't driving, it seals the fuel system and helps control pressure within the fuel tank. What results if you have a defective 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 replace a gas cap isn't expensive. If your check engine light turns on swiftly after you put gas in your 2018 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid, 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.

Will the check engine light reset itself?

The check engine light on your 2018 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid will usually 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 instantly turn itself off. Likewise, if your catalytic converter is working properly, 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 2018 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid 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 Larry H. Miller Subaru Boise so the light and code can be double-checked and reset.

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. If you check engine light is flashing, we suggest that you pull over and contact Larry H. Miller Subaru Boise to support determine if your vehicle is safe to drive in or if we suggest a tow truck. It could be anything from a bad sensor to plug wires needing to be replaced. Since any check engine code has its own level of severity, it is typically difficult to predict how numerous miles you can be safe in driving with the warning light on.

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 properly 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 proper code reading and diagnosis. The average cost for a check engine light diagnosis & testing is generally between $88 and $111. The good news, Larry H. Miller Subaru Boise offers totally free multi-point inspections and free diagnostics, in most cases, to help determine the cause of your check engine light.

2018 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid 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 often regular reasons for a Check Engine Light are faulty head gasket, damaged oxygen sensor, a malfunction with the fuel injection system, defective emissions control part, dirty mass airflow sensor, or broken spark plugs to name a few. No matter what is the root cause of the Check Engine Light, we have the Subaru Certified Technicians and the certified service protocol to isolate the root problem and completely 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 Subaru issue was completely fixed.

Every 2018 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid was designed with a high-technology performance monitoring system with a computer, and a series of sensors positioned strategically throughout the car on its crucial systems. The quick sensors are continually detecting conditions while sending vital 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. Nevertheless, sadly that is the limitation of the Check Engine Light – it won’t tell you what absolutely is wrong nor what to do about it. That’s where we come in; Larry H. Miller Subaru Boise provides a Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that isolates the core problem and gives you a recommendation on what to do next from a Tremendously Qualified Service professional.

2018 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid Check Engine Light

If the check engine light in your 2018 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid starts flashing, that means that the problem needs attention swiftly and your Subaru should be brought in swiftly. A flashing light signifies that the problem is very serious and if not taken care of swiftly may result in major and serious damage to the car. This blinking light frequently reveals 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 pricey and huge repair. Some owners ask if spark plugs cause the check engine light to flash? This can definitely be the cause. A damaged, old or dirty spark plug can cause the engine to misfire. If the problem is completely 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 pricey repair. If your check engine light is regularly flashing, please contact our team of automotive experts at Larry H. Miller Subaru Boise promptly by calling 2089952310.

Is it safe to drive your 2018 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid with the check engine light on?

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 ordinarily 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. If the check engine light is flashing, this means that there is a serious issue and it is recommended to service your Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid quickly. Call the experts at Larry H. Miller Subaru Boise by dialing 2089952310 so you can describe the issues. Or reduce your speed and bring your 2018 Subaru to our certified mechanics as soon as conceivable.

2018 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid Check Engine Light Codes

The check engine light turning on can be quite intimidating, particularly 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, likewise known as the OBD (on-board computer diagnostic system) in your Crosstrek Hybrid. 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 useful knowledge about your vehicle and will likewise allow that vital Check Engine Light to do what it is genuinely supposed to do: be your guide. Sadly, clear and helpful vehicle symptoms do not constantly accompany an illuminated Check Engine Light. Since there are hundreds of possible OBD codes, there are likewise hundreds of possible reasons for the light, including:

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

This is why it is essential for someone who does not have a lot of prevalent automotive knowledge to not assume what a code means. When your check engine light comes on, you should get it checked out swiftly by a adept certified Subaru mechanic. If the engine light comes on due to a serious concern, you risk damaging your car further by not repairing the issue right away. Call Larry H. Miller Subaru Boise at 2089952310 today or schedule your check engine light service online today!