OBD-II DTC Code Decoder & Repair Cost Lookup 🔧

Turn check-engine trouble codes into ranked repair plans. Feed this Actor a list of OBD-II DTC codes — P0420, P0171, or manufacturer-specific codes like Ford:P1000 — and get back what each code means, the 3–5 most likely fixes ranked by probability, a DIY difficulty rating, aftermarket parts-cost ranges (USD), labor-hour estimates, step-by-step instructions, and matching replacement parts with catalog search URLs.

Powered by MechanicDB: 15,886 verified codes (9,249 SAE-universal + 6,637 OEM across 32 makes), 56,561 ranked repair procedures, 75,055 parts mappings — no scraping, no external calls, instant results.

What this DTC decoder does

• 🚗 Decodes any OBD-II code — SAE-universal (P0xxx, P2xxx, B0/C0/U0…) and manufacturer-specific codes (P1xxx and friends) for Ford, Toyota, BMW, the GM marques, VW/Audi, Honda/Acura, Mercedes-Benz, and 20+ more.
• 🎯 Make-aware, never guessing — the same P1xxx number means different things on different brands. An OEM code without a make returns the list of makes that define it, not a guess.
• 🧰 Ranked repair ladder — rank 1 = the most common root cause first, so you check the $10 fix before the $1,500 one.
• 💰 Cost intelligence — parts-cost min/max (USD) and labor hours per fix (editorial estimates for US aftermarket parts and independent-shop labor).
• 🔩 Parts included — 1–3 aftermarket parts per fix with ready-made catalog search URLs.
• ⚡ Offline & deterministic — the dataset ships inside the Actor; a 100-code batch decodes in seconds.

Output — one row per (code, ranked fix)

Field	Description
dtc_code, oem_make, scope	The code, its make (empty for SAE-universal), sae/oem
short_description	What the code means
detailed_technical_explanation	How the ECM detects it and what typically causes it
fault_family, system_category	Diagnosis grouping + Powertrain/Chassis/Body/Network
probability_rank, fix_title	1 = most likely root cause
difficulty_level	Easy DIY / Moderate DIY / Professional Required
est_parts_cost_min_usd, est_parts_cost_max_usd, est_labor_hours	Cost matrix
step_by_step_instructions	•-separated repair steps
parts, parts_names	Aftermarket parts + catalog search URLs
found, reason, makes_with_this_code	Honest misses: invalid codes and make-ambiguous OEM codes explain themselves
dataset_version, source	Provenance

Export as CSV, JSON, Excel, or via API.

Input

{
  "codes": ["P0420", "P0171", "P0300", "Ford:P1000", "Toyota:P1155"],
  "make": "",
  "onlyTopFix": false,
  "includeParts": true
}

Set make (e.g. "Ford") to apply one vehicle make to every un-prefixed code, or prefix per code ("BMW:P1083"). onlyTopFix returns just the rank-1 repair per code.

Use cases

• OBD-II scanner apps & dongles — code → explanation → ranked fixes without building a database.
• Repair-estimate and shop software — difficulty, parts-cost, and labor-hour matrices per code.
• AI mechanic co-pilots / RAG — structured, provenance-tracked diagnostic context.
• Fleet triage — batch-decode fault lists and sort by cost or difficulty.

FAQ

Where does the data come from? Code-to-definition mappings are compiled from an MIT-licensed SAE J2012-derived public compilation (attribution preserved); explanations, ranked fixes, difficulty tiers, and cost estimates are MechanicDB's original editorial content, built by a deterministic, test-gated pipeline with anti-template and no-fabricated-codes gates.

Are the costs quotes? No — they're editorial estimates for typical US aftermarket parts and independent-shop labor, meant for triage and ballparking.

What about codes the dataset doesn't have? You still get a row: found: false with the reason, and for make-ambiguous OEM codes, the list of makes that do define it.

Can I get the whole thing as a ready-made dataset? Yes — the full MechanicDB (CSV + Parquet + SQLite, commercial license, instant download) is available at mechanicdb-public.pages.dev, with a free 90-code sample on GitHub and Kaggle.

⚠️ Safety: repair steps are educational reference material, not a substitute for the vehicle manufacturer's service manual. High-voltage (hybrid/EV) and SRS/airbag procedures must only be performed by qualified technicians.

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Keywords: OBD-II decoder, DTC lookup, check engine light, trouble code database, car diagnostic API, P0420 fix, repair cost estimate, automotive repair data, OEM diagnostic codes, mechanic API.