U0401 The data arriving from the engine control module is not valid
10 owner reports and 34 manufacturer filings across 25 model years from Acura, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge and others.
Where U0401 shows up
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications and complaints| Model year | Filed under | Bulletins | Owner reports | Parts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Chevrolet Corvette | Electrical System | 7 | — | Battery → |
| 2018 Mazda CX-5 | Engine | 4 | — | |
| 2016 Mazda CX-9 | Engine | 4 | — | |
| 2025 Chevrolet Corvette | Power Train | 3 | — | |
| 2017 Mazda CX-9 | Engine | 3 | — | |
| 2016 Dodge Dart | Power Train | — | 2 | |
| 2019 Mazda CX-5 | Engine | 2 | — | |
| 2019 Mazda Mazda3 | Equipment Adaptive/Mobility | 2 | — | |
| 2016 Acura MDX | Electrical System | — | 1 | Battery → |
| 2024 Chevrolet Colorado | Electrical System | 1 | — | Battery → |
| 2019 Chrysler Pacifica | Power Train | — | 1 | |
| 2023 Dodge Durango | Electrical System | — | 1 | Battery → |
| 2019 Honda Odyssey | Forward Collision Avoidance | — | 1 | |
| 2019 Honda Pilot | Engine | — | 1 | |
| 2023 Honda Ridgeline | Electrical System | — | 1 | Battery → |
| 2019 Mazda CX-3 | Engine | 1 | — | |
| 2025 Mazda CX-5 | Power Train | 1 | — | |
| 2024 Mazda CX-5 | Power Train | 1 | — | |
| 2023 Mazda CX-5 | Engine | 1 | — | |
| 2022 Mazda CX-5 | Power Train | 1 | — | |
| 2021 Mazda CX-5 | Power Train | 1 | — | |
| 2020 Mazda CX-5 | Power Train | 1 | — | |
| 2019 Mazda MX-5 | Engine | 1 | — | |
| 2016 Scion iA | Engine | — | 1 | |
| 2022 Subaru Crosstrek | Electrical System | — | 1 | Battery → |
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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U0401 by make
The same record, one make at a time: the model years, bulletins and owner reports that name U0401 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.
At the August visit, the dealer scanned the vehicle and found multiple lost-communication codes and DTC U0401 (invalid data received from PCM)
Three days later, the vehicle again failed to start, the check-engine light illuminated, and an independent scan returned U0401 (Invalid Data Received From ECM/PCM A)
The vehicle returned to Pep Boys, where DTCs U0001 (CAN C Bus) and U0401 (Implausible Data Received From ECM/PCM) were documented
My engine light came on, and the codes reported were P0441 P04F1 U0401 and P0172
The vehicle is showing persistent electrical and communication fault codes involving the ECM, ABS, and EPS systems, including P16E2, P16E5, P16E7, P16E8, U0401, and U0416
34 manufacturer filings name U0401. 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 U0401.
- SA-011-26 Service bulletin2026-02-26 · Power Train
- Some vehicles may display some (or all) of the following symptoms: • Check engine light on with DTC P061B • Light increase in engine rpms during acceleration • Transmission will not shift past 4th gear • Various U codes (U0401 ABS, U0401, U0415 FSC, U0301, U0316 SBS/MRCC, U0442 TCM) may be set
- 24-NA-025 Service bulletin2025-01-10 · Power Train
- This service bulletin provides information to correct a customer concern of Check Engine Light or Malfunction Indicator Lamp Illuminated with DTCs U0401 and/or U1611 Set.
- 24-NA-025 Service bulletin2024-11-21 · Power Train
- This service bulletin provides information to correct a customer concern of Check Engine Light or Malfunction Indicator Lamp Illuminated with DTCs U0401 and/or U1611 Set.
- 24-NA-025 Service bulletin2024-10-14 · Power Train
- This service bulletin provides information to correct a customer concern of Check Engine Light or Malfunction Indicator Lamp Illuminated with DTCs U0401 and/or U1611 Set.
- 24-NA-172 Service bulletin2024-08-27 · Electrical System
- This technical bulletin provides a procedure to correct the condition of Intermittent No Power or Vehicle will Hesitate DTC P0700, P0EFF, U1611, U0401.
- 24-NA-025 Service bulletin2024-05-30 · Electrical System
- This service bulletin provides information to correct a customer concern of Check Engine Light or Malfunction Indicator Lamp Illuminated with DTCs U0401 and/or U1611 Set.
What U0401 means
Source: SAE J2012 / OBD-IIThe data arriving from the engine control module is not valid.
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 U0401
Source: NHTSA files and the OBD-II standardCan I keep driving with U0401 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.