Back in the day, you simply had a wire connecting your throttle body to your pedal, and when you pushed the pedal, you physically opened the throttle body and increased the amount of air entering your engine.
However, times have changed, and that physical connection has now been replaced with sensors and actuators. While adding sensors and actuators allow for better air to fuel ratios for better gas mileage and better engine performance, the tradeoff is losing control of your throttle if the sensor or actuator go bad.
That is why vehicle manufacturers have integrated some many sensors and a whole system to monitor your electronic throttle control.
What does it actually mean when your electronic throttle control light comes on? And what should you do next? Perhaps the most important question is, is it safe to keep driving, or should you take it straight to a repair shop? We will answer all of those questions, and more, here.
What Does The Electronic Throttle Control Light (ETC) Mean?
Usually, when you first start your car, the throttle control warning light will come on briefly and then go off. This is nothing to be alarmed about. If the light stays on or comes on while you’re driving, the car will need some care and attention.
The electronic throttle control (ETC) light indicates that there is a problem with the throttle system. The throttle system will consist of the throttle body, the accelerator pedal, and the wirings. The electronic throttle control system is responsible for controlling and monitoring the throttle’s position.
Older vehicles are typically operated by a cable that is directly connected to and pulled by the throttle body. Most current vehicles do this with a sensor which communicates with the vehicle’s ECM.
This can have some benefits, but if something isn’t right, then the car isn’t going to accelerate right.
Electronic Throttle Control Light Function
Your electronic throttle control light keeps track of your throttle control system to make sure it is operating properly. If there is a problem, the light will illuminate as a warning.
The electronic throttle control light should only be on one other time when you turn on your vehicle. When you turn on your vehicle, it is running a system check for everything to work before it will turn off. If the light stays illuminated then you will have to diagnose a problem that is happening.
The easiest way to narrow it down to where you need to look is to hook up an OBD2 reader. An OBD2 reader will not show you the problem, but it will give you a good starting point in diagnosing your problem.
What Makes The Electronic Throttle Control Light Come On?
There are a few common causes for an electronic throttle control light to come on. Most commonly, the light turns on due to a faulty throttle control sensor or a faulty throttle accelerator pedal position sensor.
And while those two are the common causes of an electronic throttle light, they are far from the only things you need to worry about.
After a lot of research we have outlined the three most common problems below!
#1. Faulty Throttle Control Sensor.
Just because your vehicle’s ECM tells the throttle to open up a specific amount doesn’t mean the ECM is going to trust that it will. It counts on the throttle control sensor to let it know how far the throttle has actually opened and accordingly adjusts the fuel-to-air ratio.
As every good mechanic would say- you can trust, but verify. This is exactly what your ECM is doing by listening to the throttle control sensor.
So, when things come back differently than it expects, it throws an electronic throttle control light to warn you to check things out. With many throttle bodies, the sensor cannot be replaced and you will have to replace the entire throttle body, which is expensive.
#2. Faulty Accelerator Pedal Position Sensor.
Your electronic throttle control system has a couple different pieces to it, and the accelerator pedal position sensor is a key part of it. This sensor tells your car’s ECM how fast you would like to go.
From there, the ECM tells the throttle how much to open and/or close. However, if the ECM does not get an accurate reading from the pedal due to a faulty sensor, you will never get the acceleration you are looking for.
If the computer finds that something is wrong with the sensor, you will get an electronic throttle control light.
#3. Stuck Throttle Body.
So, even if everything on the electrical side is working correctly, if the physical throttle body is stuck, it doesn’t matter. There are lots of reasons that the throttle body can get stuck. One common one is carbon build-up.
Look at your throttle body and make sure it opens easily and closes easily. If it doesn’t, check for something obstructing it, and if you must, try a good quality carb cleaner. If it still doesn’t seem to be working, then you need a new throttle body.
Is It Safe To Drive With an Electronic Throttle Control Light?
It’s not a good idea to be driving with an electronic throttle control light lit up. You might get lucky and only notice a loss in fuel economy or some loss in acceleration, but if the readings keep going bad, you can be left in a world of trouble.
The throttle body controls how much air enters the engine, and if your vehicle’s ECM can’t monitor that accurately, you can quickly have an out-of-control engine.
If you have the electronic throttle light illuminated, you risk really damaging your vehicle and then having even more expensive repairs once you finally take it to a shop.
Even if you don’t really notice any major drops in your throttle response or performance of the vehicle, this is still true. That’s because the air to fuel ratio isn’t where it should be and can lead to premature wear on the engine over time.
How much is it to fix the ETC light?
The average cost to fix the ETC light really depends on what the light is on for. For example, if it is just a simple fix, such as having a dirty throttle body, then you can likely have this fixed for a couple of dollars.
On the other hand, if there is a serious problem, such as a bad throttle body or throttle body sensor, the average cost to replace this could cost anywhere from $100 to $800.
Is there a fuse for the electronic throttle control?
In most of the modern cars it does not have a fuse for the electronic throttle control, only an engine control module fuse.
The engine control module, is what controls the electronic throttle control, when it is blown the electronic throttle control no longer works.
How do you reset the light?
Resetting the electronic throttle control (ETC) light is generally similar across most vehicles. In most cases, the only variation will be the electronic throttle control’s location. From the steps provided, use them as a guideline, but reference your owner’s manual for your vehicle or contact a certified mechanic.
The following steps in a list format will give you a general procedure to reset the electronic throttle control light;
- Turn the engine off – Before doing anything, make sure your car is completely off.
- Locate the battery – Open the hood and locate the battery in the engine bay.
- Disconnect the negative terminal (often specified as “-“) – Place a wrench or pliers on the nut that is securing the negative terminal and loosen it. When it is loose enough, carefully pull the negative cable completely off the battery terminal. This will ensure the power source is disconnected.
- Wait a few minutes – Leave the negative cable disconnected for a few minutes (probably 5 to 10 minutes). Leaving the cable disconnected will reset the car’s computers and will erase the stored error histories in it.
- Reconnect the negative terminal – After 5 to 10 minutes of waiting, retighten the negative cable back onto the battery terminal securing it with either a wrench or pliers.
- Start the engine – Start the vehicle’s engine and let it idle for a few minutes. This is to allow the electronic throttle control system to set/reset itself.
- Test drive for a few minutes – Take the vehicle for a test drive to see if the electronic throttle control light is still present or flashing. If so, there remains a problem in the system that would require speaking to a mechanic.
Remember: this is a procedure that may not apply to all vehicles. And when in doubt; reference the vehicle’s manual or speak to a mechanic.
How do you fix the electronic throttle control light?
Most cars that have throttle controls electronically normally have a light, called the electronic throttle control (ETC) light on the dashboard.
When this light comes on there is an issue with the throttle control system. Throttle controls manage how much air goes into the engine. You can follow some simple steps to fix the electronic throttle control light.
Identify for immediate problems:
If you see the light come on when you’re driving, it could be a temporary error. A couple of possible solutions could be to pull over, shut off the engine, wait a moment and then start the vehicle again.
Following this procedure could clear the light and reset the system. If the light stays on continue to further troubleshoot.
Check throttle body:
The throttle body controls the airflow to the engine and is part of the air intake system. Over time, carbon could build up in it and cause issues with throttle control.
Once you remove the air intake hose check the throttle body and see if there are any debris, dirt, or carbon build up. If there is you can use a dedicated throttle body cleaner spray with a clean cloth and clean the throttle body.
Check wiring connections:
Check to make sure the wiring connections of the throttle control module is secure. Loose or damaged connections could lead to communication issues between the throttle control throttle control module and throttle body.
Carefully check the connectors and wiring harness, repair or reconnect any frayed wires that may be loose.
Reset the system:
If you are still having a problem, try resetting the electronic throttle control system.
Find the fuse box and look for a labeled fuse marked, “ETC” or throttle control and pull the fuse out for a little while. Put the fuse back, turn the ignition key on and it will restart the system which will likely fix any temporary errors.
Check for error codes:
If the light continues to come back on the best option is to check the car with a diagnostics tool. This will pull any error codes saved in the cars computer system which will identify the exact issue.
You can take your vehicle to a local auto repair shop who utilizes this diagnostics equipment or a certified mechanic.
Professional repair:
Depending on the nature of the error codes and or specific issue further repair or component replacement may be needed. It is important you check with a professional for their diagnosis and repair.
Why is my ETC light blinking?
If your electronic throttle control warning light is flashing, there is a fault happening that requires immediate attention. Get your vehicle to a mechanic workshop or diagnose it yourself as soon as possible.
When the throttle control light turns on, this suggests that there is a fault in the throttle control system. The throttle control system includes the accelerator pedal, the throttle body, and everything that goes along with that.
As you may discover, everything is becoming more complicated in modern vehicles, it may feel like it’s all getting a little out of hand, but these complicated features have undeniable benefits, there are improvements in fuel economy, which means a more powerful, more responsive engine.
When your throttle control light is on, the first thing you want to do is read the trouble codes with a diagnostic scanner. Normally, the scanner will tell you exactly what the warning light is notifying.
So while you may be cursing at the electronic throttle control light right now, you’ll be glad you have it right back to normal operating conditions when you do. Furthermore, while we might be conditioned to trust the crusty mechanic at the shop, the old linkage systems would fail from time to time too.