P0603 The engine control module has lost its keep-alive memory
1 owner report and 262 manufacturer filings across 133 model years from Chevrolet, Infiniti, Nissan.
Where P0603 shows up
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications and complaints| Model year | Filed under | Bulletins | Owner reports | Parts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 Nissan NV | Engine | 8 | — | |
| 2019 Nissan NV | Engine | 7 | — | |
| 2018 Nissan NV | Engine | 7 | — | |
| 2017 Nissan NV | Engine | 7 | — | |
| 2016 Nissan Versa | Electrical System | 6 | — | Battery → |
| 2016 Nissan NV200 | Equipment | 5 | — | |
| 2018 Nissan Rogue | Electrical System | 5 | — | Battery → |
| 2017 Nissan Rogue | Engine | 4 | 1 | |
| 2016 Nissan Murano | Electrical System | 4 | — | Battery → |
| 2016 Nissan Pathfinder | Electrical System | 4 | — | Battery → |
| 2019 Nissan Versa | Engine | 4 | — | |
| 2018 Nissan Versa | Engine | 4 | — | |
| 2017 Nissan Versa | Engine | 4 | — | |
| 2016 Nissan 370Z | Engine | 3 | — | |
| 2016 Nissan Altima | Engine | 3 | — | |
| 2016 Nissan Frontier | Equipment | 3 | — | |
| 2016 Nissan GT-R | Electrical System | 3 | — | Battery → |
| 2016 Nissan Maxima | Engine | 3 | — | |
| 2017 Nissan Murano | Engine | 3 | — | |
| 2021 Nissan NV | Engine | 3 | — | |
| 2019 Nissan NV200 | Equipment | 3 | — | |
| 2018 Nissan NV200 | Engine | 3 | — | |
| 2017 Nissan NV200 | Engine | 3 | — | |
| 2016 Nissan Quest | Electrical System | 3 | — | Battery → |
| 2019 Nissan Rogue | Electrical System | 3 | — | Battery → |
Showing the 25 model years where P0603 appears most; it is on file for 133 in total.
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.
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P0603 by make
The same record, one make at a time: the model years, bulletins and owner reports that name P0603 on that maker’s vehicles.
What it gets filed under
What owners said
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners’ own words, one per nameplate, scrubbed of anything identifying. These are unverified reports filed with NHTSA — they are what was said, not a finding that it was true.
engine light was on and nissan ran a diagnostic and found the code number p0603 and needs a new ECM -this could cause an accident as the driver can loose control of vehicle at any moment causing the driver and others at high risk -the…
262 manufacturer filings name P0603. Start with what the maker wrote down.
A code names the test that failed, not the part. A bulletin that names it is often a diagnosis someone has already written down — quote its number at the service desk.
Manufacturer filings that name it
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communicationsService bulletins and campaigns whose filed summary names P0603.
- NTB21-027 Service bulletin2021-04-01 · Engine And Engine Cooling
- MIL ON WITH DTC P062F AND/OR P0603 STORED IF YOU CONFIRM The MIL is ON and DTC P062F (EEPROM) and/or P0603 (ECM BACK UP/CIRCUIT) is stored, And The customer stated the vehicle was recently started after sitting for an extended period of time (i.e., the battery voltage was low while attempting to start the engine). ACTION 1. Test the vehicleâs 12 volt battery using the Midtronics DSS-50
- NTB16-018D Service bulletin2021-04-01 · Engine And Engine Cooling
- MIL ON WITH P0603 STORED FOR ECM BACK UP CIRCUIT This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on page 3. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
- ITB21-007 Service bulletin2021-04-01 · Engine And Engine Cooling
- MIL ON WITH DTC P062F AND/OR P0603 STORED IF YOU CONFIRM The MIL is ON and DTC P062F (EEPROM) and/or P0603 (ECM BACK UP/CIRCUIT) is stored, And The customer stated the vehicle was recently started after sitting for an extended period of time (i.e., the battery voltage was low while attempting to start the engine). ACTION 1. Test the vehicleâs 12 volt battery using the Midtronics DSS-500
- ITB16-008C Service bulletin2021-04-01 · Engine And Engine Cooling
- MIL ON WITH P0603 STORED FOR ECM BACK UP CIRCUIT This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on page 3. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
- 18089 Service bulletin2018-05-03 · Electrical System
- 18089 - Service Update. On certain vehicles equipped with CVT Transmission (RPO MR8), the transmission control module (TCM) does not illuminate the MIL, and does not set the code P0603 (control module long term memory fault), when a memory checksum error identifies there is a malfunction of the Battery Independent Non-Volatile Dynamic Memory (BINVDM). This memory is used to store permanent DTC?s
- 18089 Service bulletin2018-05-03 · Electrical System
- 18089 - Service Update. On certain vehicles equipped with CVT Transmission (RPO MR8), the transmission control module (TCM) does not illuminate the MIL, and does not set the code P0603 (control module long term memory fault), when a memory checksum error identifies there is a malfunction of the Battery Independent Non-Volatile Dynamic Memory (BINVDM). This memory is used to store permanent DTC?s
What P0603 means
Source: SAE J2012 / OBD-IIThe engine control module has lost its keep-alive memory.
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 P0603
Source: NHTSA files and the OBD-II standardCan I keep driving with P0603 stored?
Nobody can answer that from the code alone, and a site that does is guessing. A steady light means a fault was logged and the car should be checked soon; a flashing light means a severe misfire — slow down and get it seen as soon as possible, because severe misfire can quickly damage the catalytic converter. 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.