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EPA PROPOSES IMPROVED AVAILABILITY OF SERVICE INFORMATION FOR ON-BOARD DIAGNOSTIC (OBD) SYSTEM

Release Date: 06/14/2001
Contact Information:


FOR RELEASE: THURSDAY, JUNE 14, 2001
EPA PROPOSES IMPROVED AVAILABILITY OF SERVICE
INFORMATION FOR ON-BOARD DIAGNOSTIC (OBD) SYSTEM
Cathy Milbourn 202-564-7824 / milbourn.cathy@epa.gov



In an effort to assure that all emissions-related service information is available in a timely manner to all persons who diagnose, service and repair vehicles, and to provide consumers with more choices in where to have their vehicles serviced, the Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to revise the requirements for emissions-related service information for light-duty vehicles and heavy-duty trucks. On-board diagnostic (OBD) systems are required on all passenger vehicles built after model year l996, and will be required on heavy-duty vehicles beginning with model year 2005. The OBD system is designed to trigger a “check engine” light on the dashboard of a car or truck if the various pollution control devices are not functioning properly. To effectively service cars and trucks, repair technicians must have access to emissions-related service information developed by vehicle and engine manufacturers to utilize the OBD system. EPA is proposing to revise the service information requirements to improve aftermarket access to the information needed to service and repair light-duty vehicles equipped by utilizing advancing technology for electronic access to information on the Internet, allowing all aftermarket service and repair facilities to have access to the same emission-related service information, in the same manner as that provided by the manufacturers to their franchised dealership. The proposed revisions will also improve the quality of the diagnostic scan tools used by aftermarket service providers to diagnose emissions-related problems on OBD-equipped vehicles. The proposal and related documents are available at https://www.epa.gov/otaq/vehserv.htm.

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