Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs) are used by automobile manufacturers to diagnose problems related to the vehicle. They are how the OBD-II (in light duty vehicles) or J1939 (in heavy duty vehicles) identifies and communicates to technicians where and what onboard problems exist.
The first number in the DTC indicates whether the code is an SAE generic code (applies to all OBD-II systems) or is specific to the vehicle manufacturer. The remaining three numbers provide information regarding the specific vehicle system and circuit.
The Samsara Vehicle Gateway (VG) plugs directly into the OBD-II or the J1939 port of a vehicle and can thus relay any information regarding any DTC directly to the Samsara dashboard. Furthermore, the VG can raise a Vehicle Fault alert if a DTC occurs.
While Samsara can identify which DTCs a vehicle reports, your best resource for interpreting and addressing a specific DTC is the dealership or manufacturer of the vehicle.
The following figure displays an analysis of a typical OBD-II code:
