Did you just drive through a deep puddle ofwater?If so, your electrical system may be wet. Thecondition will usually be corrected when theelectrical system dries out. A few driving tripsshould turn the light off.Have you recently changed brands of fuel?If so, be sure to fuel your vehicle with quality fuel.See Gasoline Octane on page 349. Poor fuelquality will cause your engine not to run asefficiently as designed. You may notice this asstalling after start-up, stalling when you putthe vehicle into gear, misfiring, hesitation onacceleration, or stumbling on acceleration. (Theseconditions may go away once the engine iswarmed up.) This will be detected by the systemand cause the light to turn on.If you experience one or more of these conditions,change the fuel brand you use. It will require atleast one full tank of the proper fuel to turn thelight off.If none of the above steps have made the lightturn off, your dealer can check the vehicle.Your dealer has the proper test equipment anddiagnostic tools to fix any mechanical or electricalproblems that may have developed.Emissions Inspection andMaintenance ProgramsSome state/provincial and local governments haveor may begin programs to inspect the emissioncontrol equipment on your vehicle. Failure to passthis inspection could prevent you from getting avehicle registration.Here are some things you need to know in orderto help your vehicle pass an inspection:Your vehicle will not pass this inspection if thecheck engine light is on or not working properly.Your vehicle will not pass this inspection ifthe OBD (on-board diagnostic) system determinesthat critical emission control systems have notbeen completely diagnosed by the system.The vehicle would be considered not ready forinspection. This can happen if you have recentlyreplaced your battery or if your battery hasrun down. The diagnostic system is designed toevaluate critical emission control systemsduring normal driving. This may take several daysof routine driving. If you have done this andyour vehicle still does not pass the inspection forlack of OBD system readiness, your dealercan prepare the vehicle for inspection.229
