Electronic Throttle Control Nightmare

[Wstou001]

So my truck pops up the "electronic Throttle control needs service" and I take it in. Dealer says the air filter is full of what looks like sand. Did not know to ask which filter. Not covered under warranty and charges $250 and clears the code. Great, whatever. Now I'm towing a light boat for work and the ETC needs service pops up again, just days after it came out of the shop and shortly therein the turbo fails while on the highway with a boat on the hitch and I have to limp to a dealership 5 states away from home, not to mention how scary it is to drive slow on the highway with someone else's property. They hold my truck for 2 weeks until they can get a new turbo for it under warranty. THEN, on my way home from the very far out of state dealership the check engine light pops up, gas mileage is down a bit, the "ETC needs service" is once again flashing and the exhaust filter is filling up much quicker than it used too and now it is 100% full and won't regenerate.

It is a 2016 with 22,000 miles on it. Possible lemon?

I am currently trying not to drive it ever unless absolutely necessary.

 

[Brokedownbutgood]

Unfortunately most dealerships are completely clueless how to properly diagnose these trucks. Your truck likely has a different issue that got misdiagnosed. One other thing to keep in mind is when your check engine light comes on it usually stops the truck from doing passive and active regens. Which well cause the dpf to fillup and require an forced regen to fix.

 

[sqeeter91]

Check the Turbo boost sensor and see if it's caked up. If so, you can clean it with spray electrical cleaner( Top rear of engine). Or have the dealership do it when they drop your tranny and replace the turbo.

 

[GearHead]

So my truck pops up the "electronic Throttle control needs service" and I take it in. Dealer says the air filter is full of what looks like sand. Did not know to ask which filter. Not covered under warranty and charges $250 and clears the code. Great, whatever. Now I'm towing a light boat for work and the ETC needs service pops up again, just days after it came out of the shop and shortly therein the turbo fails while on the highway with a boat on the hitch and I have to limp to a dealership 5 states away from home, not to mention how scary it is to drive slow on the highway with someone else's property. They hold my truck for 2 weeks until they can get a new turbo for it under warranty. THEN, on my way home from the very far out of state dealership the check engine light pops up, gas mileage is down a bit, the "ETC needs service" is once again flashing and the exhaust filter is filling up much quicker than it used too and now it is 100% full and won't regenerate.

It is a 2016 with 22,000 miles on it. Possible lemon?

I am currently trying not to drive it ever unless absolutely necessary.

Wow, so $250 for a diagnostic and a new air filter. A little expensive. brokedownbutgood and sqeeter91 both have valid points. It has been my experience that once the ETC code pops ECM goes into limp home mode which puts all systems to baseline, if you continue to drive more codes will pop, such as low turbo boost, fuel injector flow below parameters, transmission inapropriate shift point to name a few and the regen cycle is stopped.
I have had the best luck with an immediate pull over, scan and clear code with close attention to system parameters after clearing. I carry what I call an intermediate scanner, $400 or so not my Snap On unit, some people use systems like the Edge Cts. if anything looks out of place on the base line items I immediately go to the shop for more extensive scan capability. Fuel is of upmost importance as well as fuel filter. If you are having dealer change oil they should have changed your fuel filter twice. Of course you should at least inspect the air filter at each oil change.
I have experienced this code several times and each time there has not been a confirmed cause and it has been almost a year since I have seen it on my truck. Of course mine may be good luck or an intermittent issue. The dealer makes a world of difference in diagnosis and repair.
Good luck with your truck.

 

[solarvic]

I had the same problem and they said it had a dirty fuel filter and the injectors failed. The warranty claim was near to $2500.00 dollars that was covered and I paid 42.99 for the fuel filter.

 

[Jamie Lawson]

Unfortunately most dealerships are completely clueless how to properly diagnose these trucks. Your truck likely has a different issue that got misdiagnosed. One other thing to keep in mind is when your check engine light comes on it usually stops the truck from doing passive and active regens. Which well cause the dpf to fillup and require an forced regen to fix.

Hey How Can I Get The “Regen”

 

[Jamie Lawson]

How can I get “Regen”

 

[Jamie Lawson]

How can I get “Regen”

Brokedownbutgood

 

[BoostN]

This might help: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diesel_particulate_filter

We also have tons of reading here about regen and how to manually perform one with the right tools. This might also help: https://www.ecodieselram.com/forum/threads/exhaust-filter-100-full-service-required.1613/