How is Freeze Frame related to your Check Engine Light?

As an Amazon associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

An OBD2 scanner has a feature called Freeze Frame that can be used to inspect the engine system. Freeze Frame data is collected at the time when the engine problem was first detected by your engine's monitors. When the Check Engine Light is turned on, the vehicle's Freeze Frame data is detected and recorded in real-time by the engine controller.

If the Check Engine Light is off, will you still be able to access Freeze Frame data?

Yes, It is possible to still access Freeze Frame Data when your car's check engine light does not light up on your dashboard.

This issue may happen after doing multiple warm-up cycles. In this case, your car's monitors should not clear the Freeze Frame data, and you can still use the Freeze Frame Snapshots to identify intermittent engine system errors. 

Is it possible to capture multiple DTC Codes in a single Freeze Frame?

There is no case where multiple DTCs are captured in a single Freeze Frame; sometimes, a DTC code can trigger other DTC codes to be captured and stored by a Freeze Frame. In this case, a buffer is used to hold a set of Freeze Frame data for each DTC code. Each set of Freeze Frame data is handled and overwritten when new Freeze Frame data is gathered.

Is there a chance that Freeze Frame data may not be stored when the Check Engine Light is on?

Yes, it is possible in some cases when the Check Engine Light is on, and the OBD2 scanner is activated. It may be because the monitor did not record the data, or it may have been erased automatically after conducting several warm-up cycles.

Is it possible to reset Freeze Frame data?

Yes, you can use the Erase Code Feature on your OBD2 device to reset and clear Freeze Frame data from your Engine system. This feature can clear other Engine Trouble codes, but be aware that new Freeze Frame Data can be produced if a new problem is detected while scanning the engine systems again.

Back To Blog Academy