A fault occurring for the first time is labeled in the freeze frame data as a suspected fault (pending code) and is stored in the data memory.
If the fault is not confirmed in the next check, it is erased.
If it is confirmed during the third drive cycle, the suspected fault is automatically converted into a confirmed fault (continuous code). The freeze frame data does not change. It remains the same as when the fault first occurred.
The MIL only illuminates when the fault has been stored as a confirmed fault.
If the fault does not recur in the course of three consecutive drive cycles, the MIL extinguishes in the fourth drive cycle. However, the fault code remains stored in the data memory.
Faults which do not reoccur are automatically cleared from the memory after 40 warm-up cycles.
If a faulty signal is detected during a journey and the corresponding fault code is stored, all the checks in which this signal is required as a comparison variable are interrupted. This prevents follow-up faults from being stored.
Diagnostic trouble codes can be read or cleared with the WDS ( Worldwide Diagnostic System) Ford diagnostic tester.