OFFICIAL SITE OF THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY

First Things First…

In New Jersey, vehicles that fail the emission inspection must be repaired by a registered Emission Repair Facility (ERF), or self-repaired by the vehicle owner.  Registered ERFs employ technicians who have been certified as having specialized training and/or testing in automotive emissions repair.  Please click here to find an ERF in your area.  Once on that page, enter your zip code in the box on the right-hand side that is labeled “Search By Address”, and select a radius to see all shops within that radius.  The dots labeled with indicate ERFs only.  The dots labeled with  are ERFs that are also Private Inspection Facilities (PIFs), which allows them to perform a re-inspection after repair.  Click on each dot to see the facility name, address, and phone number.

When you visit your ERF after an inspection, it is helpful to bring a copy of your Vehicle Inspection Report (VIR). If you do not have the VIR that was provided after a failed inspection, you can obtain a copy here.

Often, a failed inspection is due to system monitors not being ready.

There are two types of monitors in a vehicle:

• Three continuous monitors:
  • Fuel System Monitor
  • Comprehensive Component Monitor
  • Misfire Monitor
• A varying number of non-continuous monitors including:
  • Catalytic converter efficiency monitor
  • Evaporative system monitor
  • EGR
  • Oxygen sensors
  • and more.
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These monitors perform checks on specific emission-control related systems. They have three states:

• Ready
• Not Ready
• Unsupported

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A vehicle of model year 1996-2000 is permitted to have a maximum of two non-continuous monitors not ready. Vehicles of model year 2001 and newer are only permitted to have one non-continuous monitor not ready. The three continuous monitors must all be ready in order to pass inspection.

When a monitor is not ready, it is not monitoring it’s corresponding system. There is no way to know if your vehicle’s emissions controls are functioning properly until the monitors are set to Ready.

In order to set these monitors after an OBDII reset, a drive cycle must be completed. Often, these drive cycles are specific to the make/model/year of the vehicle and can be found in the vehicle’s manual or obtained from your ERF or dealer. These drive cycles are usually completed in the course of normal driving, however there are occasions when a requirement might be difficult to hit.

Your ERF can help you figure out what steps must be taken to ensure that your monitors are all ready and your vehicle is prepared for reinspection.

You may have failed your inspection due to a stored Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC). DTCs are are series of codes that are used by the OBD to notify the driver or mechanic of a malfunction. Upon detection of an issue, the OBD \generates a code specific to that issue and alerts you by turning on the check engine light on the dash.

A vehicle will fail inspection if the check engine light is illuminated. Your ERF can help you repair these issues with your vehicle, clear the codes, and get it ready for re-inspection.

If your vehicle is failing ONLY for an unset fuel system monitor and is newer than 2011, then you may just have to complete a shortened drive cycle to set that monitor.

It is very important that while performing any drive cycle, you must obey all traffic laws and drive in a safe manner. 

1. 1. Cold Start.
   2. Idle in park/neutral for 5 minutes
   3. Drive 50 mph for 8 minutes
   4. Slow to stop and idle in park/neutral for 15 minutes

For the full Fuel System Monitor Advisory, click here.

If you are uncomfortable completing the drive cycle yourself, your ERF or dealer can help you. Just provide them a copy of the the full Fuel System Monitor Advisory.

If your vehicle has failed for a catalyst efficiency DTC (P0420-P0439) or failed a tampering inspection for a missing catalyst, the catalyst system monitor must be ready upon reinspection.

Your ERF can help you repair these issues with your vehicle, ensure that the catalyst monitor is set, and get you ready for reinspection.

There is an issue with 2012-2014 Jeep Compass/Patriot and the 2012 Wrangler that fail an OBD inspection for readiness due to the Fuel System Monitor not being ready. Readiness in these cases will NOT be resolved simply by driving around or completing a drive cycle.

Customers are being advised to go to a Jeep dealer and have the vehicle’s ECU flashed (updated) to the most recent version available.

After the vehicle has been flashed, a drive cycle may need to be completed to set the readiness monitors prior to returning for a re-inspection.

Previously, certain 2020 through 2022 model year Ford manufactured vehicles were exempted from the OBD communication portion of the inspection process due to a manufacturing issue with Ford.  Ford has recently provided a fix for this issue, and as a result, affected vehicles have been removed from the OBD exclusion list.  Customers that have a Ford vehicle listed in the service bulletin and have failed inspection for lack of OBD communication with the inspection equipment are advised to go to a Ford dealer to have the Gateway Module reprogrammed.

For the full Ford service bulletin, click here.

More information about On Board Diagnostics can be found at:

• NJCERT Course Module 5: OBD Repair
• The OBD Wikipedia page
• Fuel System Monitor Advisory
• Sample Vehicle Inspection Reports:
  • Failing, MIL On P0420 DTC
  • Passing, In-State
  • Passing, Out-of-State
• NJDEP OBD Exclusion Table
• Jaguar 32-Bit ECM Readiness Setting TSB 021210
• 2003 Mini Drive Cycle
• Mini TSB M120204
• Mini Voluntary Recall Tank Leakage M120104
• NJDEP Advisory – Fuel System Monitor Changes 08142019
• 2012-2014 Chrysler Compass Patriot Fuel System Monitor TSB
• GM Cat Converter Fails TSB 03042016
• GM Voluntary Emissions Recall – Catalytic Converter Internal Damage 04272017