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Diagnostic trouble code

C0131

0 owner reports and 68 manufacturer filings across 24 model years from Buick, Chevrolet.

ChassisGeneric OBD-II code68 manufacturer filings

Where C0131 shows up

Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications and complaints
Model yearFiled underBulletinsOwner reports
2017 Buick EncoreService Brakes4—
2016 Buick EncoreService Brakes4—
2017 Chevrolet SonicService Brakes4—
2016 Chevrolet SonicService Brakes4—
2017 Chevrolet SparkService Brakes, Hydraulic4—
2016 Chevrolet SparkService Brakes4—
2017 Chevrolet TraxService Brakes4—
2016 Chevrolet TraxService Brakes4—
2019 Buick EncoreService Brakes, Hydraulic3—
2018 Buick EncoreService Brakes, Hydraulic3—
2019 Chevrolet SonicService Brakes, Hydraulic3—
2018 Chevrolet SonicService Brakes, Hydraulic3—
2019 Chevrolet SparkService Brakes, Hydraulic3—
2018 Chevrolet SparkService Brakes, Hydraulic3—
2019 Chevrolet TraxService Brakes, Hydraulic3—
2018 Chevrolet TraxService Brakes, Hydraulic3—
2020 Buick EncoreService Brakes, Hydraulic2—
2020 Chevrolet SonicService Brakes, Hydraulic2—
2020 Chevrolet SparkService Brakes, Hydraulic2—
2020 Chevrolet TraxService Brakes, Hydraulic2—
2022 Chevrolet SparkService Brakes, Hydraulic1—
2021 Chevrolet SparkService Brakes, Hydraulic1—
2022 Chevrolet TraxService Brakes, Hydraulic1—
2021 Chevrolet TraxService Brakes, Hydraulic1—

A model year appears here because the code is named in its record, not because every one of these vehicles sets it. Counts are mentions in the federal files, not failure rates — nobody publishes the denominator.

What it gets filed under

Service Brakes, Hydraulic 44Service Brakes 24
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Manufacturer filings that name it

Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications

Service bulletins and campaigns whose filed summary names C0131. Quoting the document number at a service desk is often the fastest route to a diagnosis someone has already written down.

What C0131 means

Source: SAE J2012 / OBD-II

C0131 sits in the generic range of the OBD-II standard, so it means the same thing on every vehicle sold in the United States — but WhichTrim does not carry a definition for it and will not invent one. What is on this page is the record: who named it and on what.

A stored code names the test that failed, never the part that caused it. It is the starting point of a diagnosis, not its conclusion — the same code has several possible causes and the cheap one is not always right.

Common questions about C0131

Source: NHTSA files and the OBD-II standard

Can I keep driving with C0131 stored?

Nobody can answer that from the code alone, and a site that does is guessing. A steady light generally means the fault was logged and the vehicle is in a reduced-risk mode; a flashing light means stop soon, because a misfiring engine can destroy a catalytic converter in minutes. The safe read of this page is the mileage and the components, not permission.

Does a code mean the car is recalled?

No. Recalls are filed by campaign and matched by VIN, and none of them are triggered by a scan tool. If you want to know whether an open recall applies to one specific vehicle, check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls — that is the only source that settles it.

Why do the counts here differ from other sites?

Because these are not estimates. Every number on this page is a count of documents in NHTSA's own files: manufacturer communications that name the code in their filed summary, and owner complaints that name it in the narrative. We do not model, weight or extrapolate them.

Will clearing the code fix it?

Clearing turns the light off and erases the freeze-frame data a technician would have used to work out what happened. If the condition is still there the code returns, usually within a few drive cycles, and the diagnosis now starts from less information than before.