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Check Engine Light Service 2014 Toyota Tacoma

What do you do when you’re driving along in your Toyota Tacoma and suddenly, a yellow light illuminates on your dash and says "Check Engine". If you’re like most Toyota owners, your heart sinks a little because you have little idea about what that light is trying to tell you or how you should react. The fear of the unknown (or the cost of the unknown) can be just as stressful. But take a deep breath and realize the light coming on doesn’t mean you have to pull the car over to the side of the road and call a tow truck, but it is recommended that you get your 2014 Toyota Tacoma checked as soon as possible. Ignoring that warning could end up causing major damage to expensive engine components.

When your 2014 Toyota Tacoma's ECM (electronic control module), which is the vehicle's onboard computer, finds a problem in the electronic control system that it can’t correct, a computer turns on your check engine light. This amber or yellow light is typically labeled “check engine” or “service engine soon”, or the light may be nothing more than a picture of an engine, or a picture of the engine with the word “check.”

When the light turns on, the ECM stores an engine code or “trouble code” in its memory that identifies as the issue, whether it's a sensor or a failing engine part. This code is read with an electronic scan tool that is used by our Toyota auto repair mechanics at Courtesy Toyota of Brandon. There are also a number of relatively inexpensive code readers that are designed for do-it-yourselfers, should you choose that route too. While this code will tell you the issue that is detected, a true diagnosis still requires an experienced professional to determine the issue and repair it.

How much does it cost to get the engine light checked?

The check engine light warns of issues ranging from a gas cap that's not properly tightened to a more perilous failure like a bad catalytic converter or a problem with one of the car's oxygen sensors, so it essential to get the natural code reading and diagnosis. The intermediate price for a check engine light diagnosis & testing is consistently between $88 and $111. The essential news, Courtesy Toyota of Brandon offers complimentary multi-point inspections and free diagnostics, in most cases, to help suggest the cause of your check engine light.

What could cause the check engine light to come on in a 2014 Toyota Tacoma?

When your check engine light comes on, this could be as simple as tightening or replacing your gas cap. Likewise, the check engine light could also be a warning of a serious problem that could cause serious damage to your engine and come with a hefty repair bill. Depending on your make and model, the check engine light will illuminate or blink. A steady glow typically means something less serious but a flashing check engine light indicates that your vehicle’s engine is in serious trouble and service is needed immediately. If your check engine light is flashing in your 2014 Toyota Tacoma, we highly recommend not to drive the vehicle and schedule Toyota service today. Below is a list of the most common reasons your check engine light can come on:

  • Issues with any aftermarket items. An aftermarket alarm, exhaust or alternative item can wreak havoc on your 2014 Toyota Tacoma if it’s not installed accordingly. These aftermarket parts and accessories can drain the battery, trigger the check engine light, or even stop the vehicle from starting. If these issues sound commonplace, transport your Tacoma to Toyota and have our squad of certified technicians ensure that your aftermarket items were installed accordingly and aren't causing any issue. Getting accessories, chiefly aftermarket parts and accessories, or using OEM parts first place might price a small bit more but could save you money from having to get meager work and wear and tear caused by meager installation work corrected.
  • The battery is low or dead. The battery in your 2014 Toyota Tacoma is each exciting. Without a vehicle battery, your vehicle won’t start, light up the road ahead, play the radio or charge your phone. Today’s vehicle batteries last much longer than they did assorted decades ago, and they don't genuinely require maintenance. The price of a new one depends on the type of Toyota you drive, but check our current service coupons and specials.
    • So what happens if I don’t replace your O2 sensor? A faulty sensor can not only affect your miles per gallon, but it can cause wear and tear to your catalytic converter and your 2014 Toyota Tacoma's spark plugs. The O2 sensor sends data to the vehicle’s onboard computer to opt for the correct variety of air and fuel that enters the cylinders in your engine. A bad O2 sensor can also cause a vehicle to fail an emissions test.
  • Your 2014 Toyota Tacoma has a vacuum leak. Each Toyota Tacoma has a vacuum system that performs a wide variety of functions. The vacuum system also helps lower harmful emissions by routing the fumes as gasoline evaporates through the engine. If you notice that your RPM is high in idle or randomly surges, a vacuum leak could be the cause. Over time, vacuum hoses can dry out and crack, chiefly if they’re exposed to intense heat or extreme cold.
  • Your catalytic converter is bad or going bad. The catalytic converter is a part of your 2014 Toyota Tacoma’s exhaust system. The catalytic converter's function is to turn the carbon monoxide created by the combustion process into carbon dioxide. A damaged catalytic converter is usually caused by neglected maintenance, which is why Courtesy Toyota of Brandon offers a complimentary multi-point inspection with each Toyota service. If you have an issue with your catalytic converter and don't get it repaired, your 2014 Toyota Tacoma will not pass an emissions test, show a lack of engine performance and will negatively affect your fuel economy. Your vehicle may run at a higher temperature, too, which can cause alternative problems from overheating.
  • One of the most not difficult and copious cause is that your 2014 Toyota Tacoma gas cap is loose, damaged or missing. The gas cap for your 2014 Toyota Tacoma serves multiple purposes. It prevents gas fumes from being released when you aren't driving, it seals the fuel system and helps maintain pressure within the fuel tank. What happens if you have a bad fuel cap? If your gas cap is classic or has a ruptured seal, you can lose fuel through evaporation which will result in more trips to the pump. Luckily, to replace a gas cap isn't costly. If your check engine light turns on hastily after you put gas in your 2014 Toyota Tacoma, first thing you should check is to make confident the cap isn’t loose — or that it's still on your car’s roof or at the fuel pump.
  • Your mass airflow sensor (known as MAF) needs to be replaced. The mass airflow sensor in your Toyota Tacoma is what determines how much fuel is decisive to run your engine efficiently by measuring the amount of air entering the engine. As a part of the engine management system, the mass airflow sensor helps adjust to definite changes, like altitude. If your Toyota Tacoma is having trouble starting, idling rough or has a sudden change in the position of the throttle pedal, this could be a sign of a bad mass airflow sensor.
  • New Spark Plugs or Plug Wires are decisive for your 2014 Toyota Tacoma. The spark plugs are the part of your engine that ignites the air/fuel variety in the combustion chamber of your vehicle. This explosion is what moves the pistons and makes the engine run. The spark plug wires deliver the spark from the ignition coil to the spark plugs. If your spark plugs or spark plug wires are bad or classic, you will experience meager performance and reduced power. In some extreme cases, your engine will have trouble starting or continuing to run. Worn spark plugs and plug wires can cause clogged catalytic converter or wear and tear to ignition coils and O2 sensors, first-rate to more costly repairs.
  • Your O2 Sensor (Oxygen Sensor) needs to be replaced. The Oxygen sensor, known as the O2 sensor, measures the amount of oxygen in your exhaust system. If there is excess oxygen in your exhaust system, fuel burns faster and your vehicle will be less productive when it comes to fuel economy.

2014 Toyota Tacoma Check Engine Light Codes

The check engine light turning on can be quite intimidating to see that little light on your vehicle’s dashboard suddenly illuminates, but in reality, it is not something that should cause you to shut down in fear right away. If you hear the term, diagnostic trouble codes (DTC), these are just another name for check engine light codes. These are automotive computer codes stored by the ECM, also known as the OBD (on-board computer diagnostic system) in your Tacoma. There are hundreds of different codes that your check engine light can represent. While that sounds daunting, with a little patience, tackling basic diagnostics will give you useful knowledge about your vehicle and will also allow that Check Engine Light to do what it is really supposed to do: be your guide. Unfortunately, obvious and helpful vehicle symptoms do not always accompany an illuminated Check Engine Light. Since there are hundreds of possible OBD codes, there are also hundreds of possible reasons for the light, including:

  • Computer output circuit issues
  • Bad Spark Plugs
  • O2 Sensor
  • Old Battery
  • Ignition system faults
  • Loose Gas Cap or Missing Gas Cap
  • Fuel and air metering systems problems
  • Emissions controls issues
  • Transmission issues
This is why it is important for someone who does not have a lot of automotive knowledge to not assume what a code means. Call Courtesy Toyota of Brandon at 8132854632 today or schedule your check engine light service online today! If the engine light comes on due to a dangerous concern, you risk damaging your vehicle added by not repairing the issue correct away. When your check engine light comes on, you should get it checked out immediately by a certified Toyota mechanic.

What Does the Check Engine Light Mean?

One of the most commonly misunderstood lights or indicators in your 2014 Toyota Tacoma is the check engine light. The check engine light is part of the onboard diagnostics system, and displays in a few different ways. It can say "Check Engine", it can be a symbol of an engine, it can even be a combination of both. This light illuminates in either an amber or red color and is part of the diagnostics system found on your vehicle. Onboard computers increasingly have controlled and monitored vehicle performance since the 80s and do a variety of things for your 2014 Toyota Tacoma. Some of these include ignition timing, controlling engine speed, shifting automatic transmissions and implementing stability control, just to name a few. With that being said, the check engine light can mean a variety of different things. It can be as simple as your gas cap being loose or as serious as engine knocking. If your check engine light is on in your 2014 Toyota Tacoma, contact Courtesy Toyota of Brandon. Our Toyota service department can help you find out what code is turning your check engine light on or analyze why your check engine light is blinking. Contact Courtesy Toyota of Brandon today!

Is it safe to drive your 2014 Toyota Tacoma with the check engine light on?

If the check engine light is flashing, this means that there is a efficient issue and it is recommended to service your Toyota Tacoma rapidly. This question is not exceedingly straightforward because it all depends on the severity of the issue. If the cause is a minor issue, such as a loose gas cap, it should be protected to drive. This is naturally indicated by a steady glow of the check engine light. If you notice a collection in the performance of the vehicle, it could be an indication of a more practical problem. Call the experts at Courtesy Toyota of Brandon by dialing 8132854632 so you can describe the issues. Or cut down your speed and bring your 2014 Toyota to our certified mechanics as soon as attainable.

Will the check engine light reset itself?

The check engine light on your 2014 Toyota Tacoma will usually shut itself off if the issue or code that caused it to turn on is fixed. For example, if the cause of your check engine light coming on was a loose gas cap, if it's tightened, the light will turn itself off. Likewise, if your catalytic converter is going functional, and you did a lot of stop-and-go driving, that may have turned on the check engine light due to the high usage of the converter. In most cases, your 2014 Toyota Tacoma light will go off after about 20-40 miles. If you drive over that amount and the light is still on, you will need to bring it in to Courtesy Toyota of Brandon so the light and code can be double-checked and reset.

2014 Toyota Tacoma Check Engine Light Flashing

Although there are countless potential causes of an illuminated Check Engine Light, we know from years of providing Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that there are several common causes including something as simple as a loose gas cap. Other common reasons for a Check Engine Light are faulty emissions control part, a malfunction with the fuel injection system, damaged oxygen sensor, dirty mass airflow sensor, faulty head gasket, or defective spark plugs to name a few. No matter what is the root cause of the Check Engine Light, we have the Toyota Certified Technicians and the certified service protocol to isolate the root problem and repair it as needed to restore factory specifications. When this happens, the Check Engine Light turns off, and you can leave the service center knowing that your Toyota issue was fixed.

Every 2014 Toyota Tacoma was designed with a high-technology performance monitoring system with a computer, and a series of sensors positioned strategically throughout the vehicle on its crucial systems. The sensors are continually detecting conditions while sending data to the electronic control unit. If the electronic control unit detects that the data is out of factory specifications, the Check Engine Light illuminates telling you that there is a problem. However, that is the limitation of the Check Engine Light – it won’t tell you what exactly is wrong nor what to do about it. That’s where we come in; Courtesy Toyota of Brandon provides a Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that isolates the core problem and gives you a recommendation on what to do next from a Highly Qualified Service professional.

2014 Toyota Tacoma Check Engine Light

If the check engine light in your 2014 Toyota Tacoma starts flashing, that means that the problem needs immediate attention and your Toyota should be brought in suddenly. A flashing light hints that the problem is important and if not taken care of suddenly may result in abundant break to the vehicle. This blinking light usually indicates a severe engine misfire allowing unburned fuel to be dumped into the exhaust system. There it can quickly raise the temperature of the catalytic converter to a point where damage is likely, requiring an expensive repair. Some owners ask if spark plugs cause the check engine light to flash? This can absolutely be the cause. A bad, old or dirty spark plug can cause the engine to misfire. If your check engine light is blinking, please contact our unit of automotive experts at Courtesy Toyota of Brandon rapidly by calling 8132854632. If the problem is ignored or you continue to drive, this can spread to the spark plug wires, catalytic converter, or ignition coils which can lead to a very expensive repair.

How many miles can you drive with the check engine light?

Since all check engine code has its own level of severity, it is crucial to predict how many miles you can drive with the warning light on. The safest bet is to decipher the code and then plan your strategy accordingly. It could be anything from a bad sensor to plug wires needing to be replaced. If you check engine light is blinking, we advocate that you pull over and contact Courtesy Toyota of Brandon to assist want if your vehicle is protected to drive in or if we advocate a tow truck.