P2121

DTC P2121 THROTTLE/PEDAL POSITION SENSOR/SWITCH "D" CIRCUIT RANGE/PERFORMANCE

HINT: This DTC relates to the Accelerator Pedal Position (APP) sensor.

CIRCUIT DESCRIPTION

HINT: This ETCS (Electronic Throttle Control System) does not use a throttle cable.

DTC Detection Conditions:

The Accelerator Pedal Position (APP) sensor is mounted on the accelerator pedal bracket and has 2 sensor circuits: VPA (main) and VPA2 (sub). This sensor is a non-contact type, and uses Hall-effect elements, in order to yield accurate signals, even in extreme driving conditions, such as at high speeds as well as very low speeds. The voltage, which is applied to terminals VPA and VPA2 of the ECM, varies between 0 V and 5 V in proportion to the operating angle of the accelerator pedal (throttle valve). A signal from VPA indicates the actual accelerator pedal opening angle (throttle valve opening angle) and is used for engine control. A signal from VPA2 conveys the status of the VPA circuit and is used to check the APP sensor itself.

The ECM monitors the actual accelerator pedal opening angle (throttle valve opening angle) through the signals from VPA and VPA2, and controls the throttle actuator according to these signals.

MONITOR DESCRIPTION

Monitor Strategy:

Typical Enabling Conditions:

Typical Malfunction Thresholds:

The accelerator pedal position sensor is mounted on the accelerator pedal bracket. The accelerator pedal position sensor has 2 sensor elements / signal output: VPA1 and VPA2. VPA1 is used to detect the actual accelerator pedal angle (used for engine control) and VPA2 is used to detect malfunctions in VPA1. When the difference between the voltage output of VPA1 and VPA2 deviates from the standard, the ECM concludes the accelerator pedal position sensor has a malfunction. The ECM turns on the MIL and a DTC is set.

FAIL SAFE
The accelerator pedal position sensor has two (main and sub) sensor circuits. If a malfunction occurs in either of the sensor circuits, the ECM detects the abnormal signal voltage difference between the two sensor circuits and switches to limp mode. In limp mode, the functioning circuit is used to calculate the accelerator pedal opening angle to allow the vehicle to continue driving. If both circuits malfunction, the ECM regards the opening angle of the accelerator pedal to be fully closed. In this case, the throttle valve will remain closed as if the engine was idling.

If a "pass" condition is detected and then the ignition switch is turned to OFF, the fail-safe operation will stop and the system will return to normal condition.

Wiring Diagram:

Step 1:

Step 2 - 3:

Step 4:

INSPECTION PROCEDURE

HINT: Read freeze frame data using the hand-held tester. Freeze frame data record the engine condition when malfunctions are detected. When troubleshooting, freeze frame data can help determine if the vehicle was moving or stationary, if the engine was warmed up or not, if the air-fuel ratio was lean or rich, and other data, from the time the malfunction occurred.