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Automotive vocabulary · Diagnostics, Service and Repair

Limp mode

Meaning in automotive, with examples

nounCommon term

In automotive, limp mode means: A protective mode in which a control unit limits engine power, speed or gear selection after detecting a serious fault, so the car can still be driven slowly to a workshop.

In Turkish: acil durum modu, emniyet modu, limp modu

How it is used

Also called limp-home mode or safe mode. Customers say the car went into limp mode and lost power; technicians read the codes to find what triggered it. Automatic transmissions often stay in one gear in limp mode.

Example sentences

  1. The car went into limp mode on the highway and wouldn't go above 60 km/h.

  2. A boost pressure fault is the most common reason for limp mode on this engine.

Common collocations

  • go into limp mode
  • limp-home mode
  • stuck in limp mode
  • reduced power
  • ECUShort for electronic control unit (or engine control unit): a small computer that reads sensors and controls actuators, for example injection timing in an engine. Modern cars have dozens of them.
  • diagnostic trouble codeA standard code stored by a control unit when it detects a fault, such as P0300. The first letter shows the system: P for powertrain, B for body, C for chassis and U for network.
  • check engine lightThe amber engine-shaped warning light on the dashboard that comes on when the engine or emission control system detects a fault and stores a code.
  • turbochargerA device that uses the flow of exhaust gas to spin a turbine, which drives a compressor that pushes more air into the engine. More air allows more fuel to be burned and more power to be produced.

More terms: Diagnostics, Service and Repair

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