Faults

The Faults feature helps you monitor your fleet for faults detected by your assets or telematics devices.

Engine faults are diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) generated by your vehicle's Engine Control Module (ECM). The ECM continuously monitors various sensors and systems within the engine and related components. When a potential issue is detected, the ECM generates a specific fault code that provides insight into the nature of the problem. Your GO device reads these fault codes from the vehicle's ECM and transmits them to MyGeotab.

The Faults feature displays any faults detected in your fleet in a chart. This allows you to quickly view faults in your fleet in order to address issues proactively. The chart lists the following data for each fault:

  • Asset name: The name of the asset in which the fault was detected.

  • Fault code: The unique identifier code for the fault.

  • Fault: The name of the fault.

  • Severity: The rated severity of the fault, on a scale from Low (no repair needed) to Critical (Check immediately). Clicking the fault severity provides an explanation of what each level means.

  • Status: The current status of the fault:

    • Active faults are faults that are currently present and detected during the current driving cycle. They indicate an issue that needs attention as it is actively occurring.

    • Pending faults are faults that have been detected but require more information for the system to confirm that it is a persistent problem. They indicate a potential problem that the system is monitoring. They can also be helpful in diagnosing intermittent issues.

  • Failure mode: Used along with Suspect Parameter Numbers (SPNs), Failure Mode Identifiers (FMIs) provide specific information relating to DTCs. An FMI can indicate a problem with an electronic circuit or component. It may also indicate when an abnormal operating condition has been detected.

  • Source: The source that detected the fault (either the vehicle or the GO device).

  • Protocol: the Protocol of the source. For example from J1939, OBD2, or J1708.

  • Controller: Which Controller the data is coming from.

To access this feature in MyGeotab, navigate to Maintenance > Faults.

Engine fault statuses

Understanding engine faults statuses helps you proactively address minor problems before they escalate.

Interpreting engine fault statuses depends on the source of the fault data. In MyGeotab, engine fault data comes from two main sources:

  • The GO device installed in your vehicle that communicates with MyGeotab.

  • The vehicle’s Engine Control Unit (ECU).

Depending on the source of the fault, the actions you need to take may be different. Knowing the difference between the two sources helps you respond appropriately to faults and keep your vehicles and drivers safe.

The following statuses are displayed for faults recorded by your GO device:

  • None: The fault is no longer active. It may have been resolved, or the condition that caused it is gone.

  • Pending: This status is used for cases that don't require immediate action, such as firmware updates.

  • Active: This indicates an alert that requires your attention, such as a vehicle with a low battery.

The following statuses are displayed for faults recorded by the ECU:

  • Pending (alone): The fault hasn't occurred frequently enough to be considered a serious issue. It might be a temporary issue.

  • Pending and Active (together): This means the fault has occurred repeatedly and is likely a real problem that needs to be addressed. The fault is stored in the engine's long-term memory. You should have this vehicle inspected.

  • Active (alone): The fault is not currently present, but it occurred in previous driving cycles. This historical data can be helpful for diagnostics. The fault will eventually be cleared from the engine's memory after a certain number of driving cycles without reoccurrence. It can also be manually cleared with a scan tool.

Viewing fault details

You can view detailed information about individual faults using the Faults feature.

  1. Navigate to Maintenance > Faults in the main menu.
  2. Select the groups you want to view using the Groups dropdown.
  3. Select the assets you want to view using the Assets dropdown.
  4. Select a date range for your data.
    Note: You can open additional filters by selecting the Filters menu, including Diagnostics, Controllers, Severity, Status, and Protocols.
  5. Select the fault you want to view from the list. A window will open on the side of the page listing detailed information about the fault.
    Note: When selecting a fault from the list, be careful not to click the asset name. Clicking the asset name will open the Asset Details page instead.

Dismissing faults

You can dismiss faults to hide them in Faults reporting.

Dismissing faults hides them from the table view and from Faults reporting, allowing you to focus on the faults that matter most.
  1. Navigate to Maintenance > Faults in the main menu.
  2. Select the groups you want to view using the Groups dropdown.
  3. Select the assets you want to view using the Assets dropdown.
  4. Select a date range for your data.
    Note: You can open additional filters by selecting the Filters menu, including Diagnostics, Controllers, Severity, Status, and Protocols.
  5. Select the faults you want to dismiss from the list using the check box in each line item.
  6. Click Dismiss faults at the top of the page.
  7. Confirm your selection by clicking Dismiss faults in the confirmation window.
Your dismissed faults will be removed from the page. You can view them again by opening the Filters menu and clicking Show dismissed faults.