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Manufacturer communication · Service bulletin

Lotus bulletin sb_2021_06_DTC

What it saysThere is often inconsistent or insufficient information received from dealers when reporting ECU and TCU related faults. NHTSA’s full summary ↓

Lotus filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Jun 16, 2021, received Jul 5, 2021, about the engine. It names 5 model years (2016–2020). A service bulletin is not a safety recall: it is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a condition, and whether the work is paid for depends on the warranty in force. Quoting the number at a service desk can save a diagnosis.

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What the bulletin says

Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communication

There is often inconsistent or insufficient information received from dealers when reporting ECU and TCU related faults. This bulletin aims to standardise the information when filing a claim to After Sales.

Trouble codes it names: P0101 all 1 read from the document itself; NHTSA’s summary names none

Kind Service bulletin Manufacturer date Jun 16, 2021 Received by NHTSA Jul 5, 2021 Components Engine

Document filed under this number

DocumentKindDatedNHTSA idAt NHTSA
sb_2021_06_DTCService bulletinJun 16, 202110198785PDF, 296 KB

The summary is NHTSA’s abstract of the document, as filed under 49 CFR 579.5. One communication is usually filed as several documents — the bulletin, a dealer notice, an owner letter — and the number on any of them finds this page. A PDF link is shown only once NHTSA’s own server has been seen to serve that document; the rest are checked over the following nights. Quote the number at a service desk; it is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.

Model years it names

Source: as the manufacturer filed them

Also filed against model years this site has no page for: 2016 Lotus Evora; 2019 Lotus Evora.

A vehicle page’s bulletin list shows the newest few communications filed against that model year; the count there is every one.

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What owners reported

Source: NHTSA complaint database

Owners of the 3 model years this bulletin names have filed 4 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 2 of them name Engine — the same broad component group this bulletin is filed under. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so that means the same area of the vehicle, not necessarily the same fault.

Driving on an interstate highway a MIL (Malfunction Indicator Light) illuminated and within less than 5 seconds, the engine went into shutdown mode. I was able to safely clear the highway but on a central lane and heavy traffic it would have been impossible to safely clear the highway and the car would be stranded in the middle of the…

2017 Lotus Evora · Engine · filed with NHTSA Aug 22, 2024 · ODI 11610304

For the second time, a Throttle Actuator code forced an engine shutdown while on a busy freeway with only very narrow breakdown lane stranding the car. Attempts to reset the code(s) failed for about 30 minutes whereupon codes reset and have not recurred indicating the code was only transient but very dangerous

2017 Lotus Evora · Engine · filed with NHTSA Nov 1, 2024 · ODI 11623114

A complaint is one owner’s account, not a defect finding, and a bulletin is not a recall. Nothing here says this bulletin was issued because of these complaints, or that the repair it describes fixed them. Complaint files on this site begin in 2015.

More bulletins about the engine

Source: same model, same component group

3 other manufacturer communications filed against the Lotus Evora under the same component group (engine), newest first.

NumberKindDatedNHTSA’s summary
sb_2021_08_21_MYService bulletinDec 15, 2021An ECU.crp program update is now available for all Federal Evora 2021 model year vehicles to ensure that they meet the current emissions dia…
sb_04_21MY_EvoraService bulletinMay 10, 2021Inspection and potential renewal of the auxiliary drive belt due to inclusion of incorrect specification material during manufacturing proce…
sb_2020_01Service bulletinMay 19, 2020Any unauthorised modifications, including fitment of non-approved after-market air filter resulting in generation of diagnostic trouble code…

Quote the number at the service desk. It is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.

Every manufacturer communication NHTSA holds for Lotus, by the number printed on the letter.

Photo: Christian Buehner / Unsplash

Common questions

Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR 579.5

Is Lotus sb_2021_06_DTC a recall?

No. A service bulletin is a manufacturer communication filed with NHTSA under 49 CFR 579.5; a safety recall carries an NHTSA campaign number (two digits, a letter, six digits) and a federal duty to repair for free. Check the vehicle’s recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls, or on its page here.

Is the sb_2021_06_DTC repair free?

Not automatically. A service bulletin describes how to diagnose or repair a condition; who pays depends on the warranty in force, any extension, and the dealer. Quoting the number can save a diagnosis either way.

Which vehicles does sb_2021_06_DTC cover?

The manufacturer filed it against 5 model years: 2020 Lotus Evora, 2018 Lotus Evora, 2017 Lotus Evora, 2016 Lotus Evora, 2019 Lotus Evora. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.