⌘K
Federal filingsHome›Trouble codes› U3003
Diagnostic trouble code

U3003

3 owner reports and 98 manufacturer filings across 32 model years from Ford, Honda, Lincoln, Mazda.

Network Manufacturer-specific 98 manufacturer filings 3 owner reports

Where U3003 shows up

Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications and complaints
Model yearFiled underBulletinsOwner reportsParts
2020 Ford F-250 Super DutyElectrical System7—Battery →
2020 Ford F-350 Super DutyElectrical System7—Battery →
2021 Ford F-250 Super DutyElectrical System6—Battery →
2021 Ford F-350 Super DutyElectrical System6—Battery →
2020 Ford F-450 Super DutyElectrical System6—Battery →
2022 Ford F-250 Super DutyElectrical System5—Battery →
2022 Ford F-350 Super DutyElectrical System5—Battery →
2021 Ford F-450 Super DutyElectrical System5—Battery →
2016 Mazda CX-9Structure5—
2022 Ford EscapeElectrical System4—Battery →
2022 Ford F-450 Super DutyElectrical System4—Battery →
2021 Ford EscapeElectrical System3—Battery →
2020 Ford EscapeEngine3—
2023 Ford MaverickEngine3—
2022 Ford MaverickElectrical System3—Battery →
2022 Lincoln CorsairElectrical System3—Battery →
2021 Lincoln CorsairElectrical System3—Battery →
2023 Ford EscapeHybrid Propulsion System2—
2016 Ford FiestaPower Train2—
2019 Ford Transit ConnectSteering2—
2023 Lincoln CorsairHybrid Propulsion System2—
2017 Mazda CX-5Electrical System2—Battery →
2018 Mazda CX-9Electrical System2—Battery →
2017 Mazda CX-9Structure2—
2018 Mazda Mazda3Forward Collision Avoidance—2

Showing the 25 model years where U3003 appears most; it is on file for 32 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.

Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing on this page changes because of it.

U3003 by make

The same record, one make at a time: the model years, bulletins and owner reports that name U3003 on that maker’s vehicles.

Ford 18Mazda 9

What it gets filed under

Electrical System 66 Engine 9 Equipment 6 Hybrid Propulsion System 5 Structure 4 Not specified 2

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.

The contact had taken the vehicle to a non-manufacturer dealer who used a handheld scanner and retrieved the following codes: C1001 Type 97, U3003, and B13D3
2018 Mazda Mazda3 at 31,321 miles Apr 15, 2024 NHTSA owner report

98 manufacturer filings name U3003. 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.

Photo: Compagnons / Unsplash

Manufacturer filings that name it

Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications

Service bulletins and campaigns whose filed summary names U3003.

What U3003 means

Source: SAE J2012 / OBD-II

U3003 is a manufacturer-specific code: the second character is a 3, which under the OBD-II standard hands the definition to whoever built the vehicle. The same code can mean one thing on a Ford and something unrelated on a Hyundai. Any site that prints a single definition for it is guessing.

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.

From here

Common questions about U3003

Source: NHTSA files and the OBD-II standard

Why does this page not define U3003?

Because it cannot be defined honestly. The second character of a trouble code says who owns its meaning, and a 1 or a 3 hands that to the manufacturer. Sites that print one definition for a manufacturer-specific code are showing you one automaker's meaning and hoping it is yours.

Can I keep driving with U3003 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.