U0164
3 owner reports and 95 manufacturer filings across 22 model years from Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Jeep and others.
Where U0164 shows up
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications and complaints| Model year | Filed under | Bulletins | Owner reports |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 Cadillac Escalade | Equipment | 8 | — |
| 2017 Chevrolet Suburban | Equipment | 8 | — |
| 2017 Chevrolet Tahoe | Equipment | 8 | — |
| 2017 GMC Yukon | Equipment | 8 | — |
| 2018 Cadillac Escalade | Equipment | 6 | — |
| 2018 Chevrolet Suburban | Equipment | 6 | — |
| 2018 Chevrolet Tahoe | Equipment | 6 | — |
| 2018 GMC Yukon | Equipment | 6 | — |
| 2017 Chevrolet Silverado | Electrical System | 5 | — |
| 2019 Cadillac Escalade | Electrical System | 4 | — |
| 2018 Chevrolet Silverado | Electrical System | 4 | — |
| 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD | Equipment | 4 | — |
| 2019 Chevrolet Suburban | Electrical System | 4 | — |
| 2019 Chevrolet Tahoe | Equipment | 4 | — |
| 2018 GMC Sierra | Equipment | 4 | — |
| 2019 GMC Sierra 2500HD | Electrical System | 3 | — |
| 2019 GMC Yukon | Electrical System | 3 | — |
| 2020 Chevrolet Suburban | Electrical System | 2 | — |
| 2020 Chevrolet Tahoe | Electrical System | 2 | — |
| 2017 Jeep Cherokee | Electrical System | — | 1 |
| 2023 Kia Niro | Electrical System | — | 1 |
| 2022 Kia Sorento | Parking Brake | — | 1 |
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
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.
Stored codes show lost CAN communication among multiple modules: U0101, C1611, C1693, U0111, U0164, U0293, U042B, U1341
The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and DTCs U0164, U0123, U01B0, and U1131 were retrieved
Manufacturer filings that name it
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communicationsService bulletins and campaigns whose filed summary names U0164. Quoting the document number at a service desk is often the fastest route to a diagnosis someone has already written down.
- PIT5586E2020-10-01 · Electrical System
- This Preliminary information communicates a customer concern of IPC gauges inoperative or fluctuate, No Start, No Crank, SIR Light / Service Airbag Message, Service Suspension Message, Radio display blank, Steering Wheel Controls (SWC) not illuminated, Turn Signal no audible feedback, HVAC controls inoperative. During diagnostics a technician may find any of the following DTC's: B1011, B1370, B398
- PIT5586D2020-03-11 · Electrical System
- This Preliminary information communicates a customer concern of IPC gauges inoperative or fluctuate, No Start, No Crank, SIR Light / Service Airbag Message, Service Suspension Message, Radio display blank, Steering Wheel Controls (SWC) not illuminated, Turn Signal no audible feedback, HVAC controls inoperative. During diagnostics a technician may find any of the following DTC's: B1011, B1370, B398
- PIT5586C2019-06-24 · Equipment — Electrical
- This Preliminary information communicates a customer concern of IPC gauges inoperative or fluctuate, No Start, No Crank, SIR Light / Service Airbag Message, Service Suspension Message, Radio display blank, Steering Wheel Controls (SWC) not illuminated, Turn Signal no audible feedback, HVAC controls inoperative. During diagnostics a technician may find any of the following DTC's: B1011, B1370, B398
- PIT5586B2018-08-27 · Engine
- This Preliminary information communicates a customer concern ofIPC gauges inoperative or fluctuate, No Start,No Crank,SIR Light / Service Airbag Message, Service Suspension Message,Radio display blank, Steering Wheel Controls (SWC) not illuminated, Turn Signal no audible feedback,HVAC controls inoperative. During diagnostics a technician may find any of the following DTC's: B1011, B1370, B3980
- PIT5586A2018-03-27 · Equipment — Electrical — Radio/Tape Deck/Cd Etc.
- This Preliminary information communicates a customer concern ofIPC gauges inoperative or fluctuate, No Start,No Crank,SIR Light / Service Airbag Message, Service Suspension Message,Radio display blank, Steering Wheel Controls (SWC) not illuminated, Turn Signal no audible feedback,HVAC controls inoperative. During diagnostics a technician may find any of the following DTC's: B1011, B1370, B3980
- PIT55862017-10-02 · Equipment — Other — Owners/Service/Other Manual
- This Preliminary information communicates a customer concern ofIPC gauges inoperative or fluctuate, No Start,No Crank,SIR Light / Service Airbag Message, Service Suspension Message,Radio display blank, Steering Wheel Controls (SWC) not illuminated, Turn Signal no audible feedback,HVAC controls inoperative. During diagnostics a technician may find any of the following DTC's: B1011, B1370, B3980
What U0164 means
Source: SAE J2012 / OBD-IIU0164 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 U0164
Source: NHTSA files and the OBD-II standardCan I keep driving with U0164 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.