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Diagnostic trouble code

U0131

3 owner reports and 94 manufacturer filings across 27 model years from Ford, GMC, Jeep, Lincoln and others.

NetworkGeneric OBD-II code94 manufacturer filings3 owner reports

Where U0131 shows up

Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications and complaints
Model yearFiled underBulletinsOwner reports
2022 Jeep Grand CherokeeSteering101
2023 Jeep Grand CherokeeElectrical System10
2021 Jeep Grand CherokeeElectrical System9
2025 Jeep Grand CherokeeElectrical System6
2024 Jeep Grand CherokeeSteering6
2022 Jeep Grand WagoneerSteering5
2020 GMC SierraEngine And Engine Cooling4
2023 Jeep Grand WagoneerSteering4
2023 Jeep WagoneerElectrical System4
2022 Jeep WagoneerElectrical System4
2019 Ford Transit ConnectSteering3
2016 Jeep CherokeeElectrical System3
2020 Jeep GladiatorSteering3
2020 Jeep WranglerSteering3
2019 Jeep WranglerSteering3
2018 Jeep WranglerElectrical System3
2025 Jeep Grand WagoneerSteering2
2024 Jeep Grand WagoneerSteering2
2025 Jeep WagoneerSteering2
2024 Jeep WagoneerSteering2
2016 Lincoln MKCSteering2
2023 Ford MaverickPower Train1
2020 Ford Transit ConnectSteering1
2020 Jeep CherokeeSteering1
2020 Mazda CX-3Electrical System1
2019 Mazda CX-3Electrical System1
2018 Mazda CX-3Electrical System1

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

Steering 46Electrical System 36Lane Departure 5Engine And Engine Cooling 3Power Train 2Engine 2
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What owners said

Source: NHTSA complaint database

Owners’ 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.

They came back with codes C0051-04, C0051-64, U0420-00 which they said were codes that heavily recommended the rack and pinion to be changed but the codes that recommend that to be changed are C1592, C2217, or U0131
2020 Jeep CherokeeJul 16, 2026NHTSA owner report
Recorded faults from last occurrence on April 05 2024: SOBDMC DTC U1011:86-AF SOBDMC DTC U1028:00-26 PCM DTC U1010:00-AF OBDII DTC U1011-P ABS DTC U0401:00-2F ABS DTC U0131:00-2E ACM DTC U0255:00-28 IPMA DTC U0418:86-AF In my situation all…
2023 Ford MaverickApr 22, 2024NHTSA owner report
Vehicle spent 18 days in service with no fix other than to clear code U0131 "Loss of Comm with power steering" and to do a EPS Flash
2022 Jeep Grand CherokeeFeb 6, 2024NHTSA owner report

Manufacturer filings that name it

Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications

Service bulletins and campaigns whose filed summary names U0131. Quoting the document number at a service desk is often the fastest route to a diagnosis someone has already written down.

What U0131 means

Source: SAE J2012 / OBD-II

U0131 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 U0131

Source: NHTSA files and the OBD-II standard

Can I keep driving with U0131 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.