IM OBD Vehicles Readiness
Exception List
Introduction
In June 2001, EPA issued guidance on "Performing Onboard System
Diagnostic Checks as Part of a Vehicle Inspection and Maintenance Program" that
includes an Appendix D, entitled "Manufacturers Known to Have Readiness Issues."
This appendix lists vehicles that appear to be "Not Ready" for testing using the
onboard diagnostic (OBD) system found on 1996 and newer vehicles. It was agreed
upon by EPA and the OBD stakeholder community that at a minimum Appendix D
should be updated to include more recent model year vehicles, as well as provide any
new information such as Technical Service Bulletins or Recalls that may be available
to address readiness issues for specific vehicles.
The first step in this effort was to analyze field data from state programs
to identify those vehicles that were exhibiting readiness problems during their
scheduled OBD test. EPA performed an analysis on over nine million initial test
records from calendar year 2005 covering model years 1996 through 2004 and in
April 2007 issued a report (EPA420'F-07'025) containing the results of this analysis.
The salient points are highlighted below.
Several factors were used to analyze the data in the April 2007 report: make,
model, model year, the fraction of vehicles in a make or model that were Not Ready,
and the total number of records for that make or model. The model designations
contained in the data provided by the states were used as received. Some of the
model designations vary among the five states analyzed and even within a state
some designations seem to be repetitive (e.g., the 2- and 4-wheel drive versions of
a vehicle are entered as different models), thus expanding the number of "models"
in the dataset*. A range of criteria was used to investigate the magnitude of the Not
Ready problem. Using 8% Not Ready, a minimum of 50 vehicles tested, and state
model definitions, many more models with readiness problems were identified than
had been originally identified in an informal stakeholder survey. The EPA analysis
also shows that the number and percentage of vehicles by model year with Not
* Some of the model duplication is also due to the VTN decoder used to identify models in the MO and
NC data as those programs did not report vehicle model in CY05.
Office of Transportation and Air Quality
United States
Environmental Protection EPA420-F-08-009
A9encv January 2008
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Ready issues has declined significantly since OBD systems were first installed in 1996.The
overwhelming majority of makes have readiness issues in less than 7% of its vehicles.
The April 2007 analysis did not attempt to investigate the causes for the Not Ready
issues. Such causes include: design problems with the vehicle's OBD system, scan tool/
inspection software problems, vehicles being tested that are not OBD equipped, and vehicles
that have already been identified as having readiness issues and have a solution identified. EPA
has established a workgroup to look into potential readiness problems based on the analysis
discussed in this report.
It was originally intended that the workgroup would focus on those models that have
a Not Ready rate of 30% or more; however, a number of vehicles in this category were found
to be over 8500 Ibs. GVWR, already in the existing Appendix D, or subject to a specific recall
campaign. Therefore, this update will provide a listing of these vehicles, and the next update
will focus on those vehicles with Not Ready rates greater than 30% that are being investigated
further. The next update will address vehicles with Not Ready rates greater than 20% also.
It should be noted that the analyses done for this document included data from GA and
WI, so that the total number of test records was increased to approximately 12 million.
Solutions for those vehicles under evaluation will be developed by the stakeholder
workgroup and shared through periodic updates to the broader IM community via mechanisms
such as the IM Solutions List Server.
Please contact Gene Tierney (tierney.gene@epa.gov) or Lee Cook (cook.leila@epa.gov)
for questions regarding this document.
Over 30% Not Ready: Vehicles Between 8,500 & 14,000 Ibs. GVWR
The table below provides a summary of the Makes, Models, and Model Years of vehicles
that were found to be judged Not Ready from the analysis of the seven-state data; however, they
are also over 8500 Ibs. GVWR and, therefore, are not required to be federally OBD-compliant
until a 40% phase-in beginning with the 2004 model year for gasoline and a 50% phase-in
beginning with the 2005 model year for diesel. For this reason OTAQ does not recommend
these vehicles be OBD-tested. If a state does decide to OBD test these vehicles, the OBD system
information should not be the sole source of information for any pass/fail decision. Furthermore,
anY state tnat decides to OBD-test these vehicles should exercise caution even if the testing is
done on an advisory basis.
It was recognized that those vehicles appearing in Table 1 were identified by chance and,
therefore, less than a complete list. A second table was created to address this issue and is much
more extensive. It lists all vehicles over 8500 Ibs. GVWR certified from MYOO through MY07
and includes engine size. Due to its size, it is only available electronically on the OTAQ web
page. (See File Table la.)
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Table 1: Vehicles Over 8500 Ib. GVWR Identified in Data with >30% Not Ready*
MY
Make
Chevy
Chevy
Chevy
Chevy
Chevy
Chevy
Chevy
Chevy
Dodge
Dodge
Dodge
Dodge
Dodge
Dodge
Ford
Ford
Ford
Ford
Ford
Ford
CMC
CMC
CMC
CMC
CMC
CMC
CMC
Model
C2500
G1500
G2500
G35
K2500
K3500
Savanna
3500
B2500
B3500
Ram 2500
Ram 3500
Ram Van
Ram Wagon
E250
E350
Excursion
F250
F350
E150
C2500
G25
G2500
G35
Savanna
Sierra
3500
1996
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
1997
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
1998
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
1999
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
2000
X
2001
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
2002
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
2003
X
X
X
X
X
X
2004
X
X
X
X
X
X
* In all tables, an "x" indicates that particular Make, Model, and MY displayed a Not Ready rate >30% in the data
set. If the cell is blank, then that Make, Model, and MY Not Ready rate was below 30% and not the focus of this
update even though those cells still represent vehicles that are above 8500 Ib GVWR.
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Over 30% Not Ready: Vehicles Subject to Recall Campaign
#678 TSB 18-005-01
The following vehicles in Table 2 have been the focus of a manufacturer recall campaign
(Recall Campaign #678). The readiness issue with these vehicles is an improper design that
causes all monitors to set to "Not Ready" following every ignition key-off event.
TSB 18-005-01 applies to non-California vehicles and will be performed at no cost,
even if the warranty has expired. A similar agreement between ARB and Chrysler has been
established for CA vehicles.
Table 2: Recall Campaign #678 Vehicles
Make
Chrysler
Chrysler
Chrysler
Chrysler
Chrysler
Chrysler
Dodge
Dodge
Dodge
Dodge
Jeep Eagle
Jeep Eagle
Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth
Model
Cirrus
Concorde
Intrepid
LHS
New Yorker
Sebring
Avenger
Intrepid
Neon
Stratus
Talon
Vision
Breeze
Neon
Voyager
MY
1996
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
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Over 30% Not Ready: Vehicles Already in Existing Appendix D
The vehicles appearing in Table 3 below have been identified previously in the
existing Appendix D that can be found in the June 2001 EPA document "Performing Onboard
Diagnostic System Checks as Part of a Vehicle Inspection & Maintenance Program". The
document number of this report is EPA420'R-01'015. The recommended procedure for
handling these vehicles is to scan them for MIL illumination without regard to readiness status.
Table 3: Vehicles in June 2001 Appendix D*
Make Model 1996 1997 1998
Mitsubishi
Saab
Subaru
Diamante
Eclipse
Galant
Mirage
Montero
3000
900/9000
Impreza
Legacy
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
* The June 2001 Appendix D recommends All Model Mitsubishi vehicles from MY96-98 be scanned for MIL
illumination without regard to readiness. The vehicles in Table 3 were only those that were identified in the state
CY05 data, but this guidance update does not supersede that recommendation and all MY96-98 Mitsubishis should
continue to be scanned for MIL illumination without regard to readiness.
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Over 30% Not Ready: Under Evaluation
The vehicles listed below in Table 4 are the subject of ongoing lab testing and
discussions with the auto manufacturers to determine the extent of the readiness problem in
each case and develop a recommended handling procedure. Engine information is provided
as available and should be used accordingly as some models exhibit readiness problems while
those with a different engine do not (e.g. only the 2.0 L Sonatas appear to have a problem with
readiness).
Until further notice, states may chose to OBD test these vehicles regardless of their
readiness status or default them to a tailpipe test. Any other options a state may wish to pursue
should be discussed with EPA's Office of Transportation & Air Quality.
Table 4: Lab Testing or OEM Discussion Vehicles*
MY
Make
Chevy
Dodge
Ford
Hyundai
Kia
Mazda
Plymouth
Porsche
Suzuki
Volvo
VW
Model
Tracker
Viper
Probe GT
Accent
Elantra
Sonata
Sephia
Spoilage
Protege
Breeze
911
Sidekick
850
S70
S90
V70
Passat
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2003
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
* The June 2001 Appendix D recommends MY96-97 Volvo 850s be treated as non-problematic vehicles. However,
based on this analysis of CY05 state data, these vehicles are exhibiting a high degree of not readiness despite the
existing TSBs to address this problem. Therefore, the MY96-97 Volvo 850s have been listed in Table 4 as vehicles in
need of further study. The same is true for the MY98 Volvo S70, S90 & V70.
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