Abandoned History: OBD-II and the Standardization of Our Troubles (Part I)

The modern automobile contains many complex systems, and is designed to identify its own issues as they arise via on-board diagnostics (OBD). Since 1996, nearly every potential fault within those systems is coded by OBD-II into one of four areas: Powertrain (P), Body (B), Chassis (C), or Network (U). But it wasn’t always this simple, as each manufacturer created their own Wild West of individual error identification methodologies, codes, and proprietary diagnostic devices. And the entire system is about to change again, as OBD-II is replaced by a more complex framework. Let’s dive in like we just pulled a P0420.