U0438
Invalid Data Received from Park Brake Control Module
The Park Brake Control Module is present on the data bus but the values it reports are implausible — out of range, frozen, or failing the checksum or rolling-count check. The receiving modules reject the data. Electronic parking-brake operation may be limited. Causes include a faulty sensor feeding the module, internal computation errors, a software or calibration mismatch after a repair, or bus interference corrupting the frames.
- Check engine light: Yes
- Emissions related: No
- Repair difficulty: hard
Symptoms
- Multiple warning lights may illuminate
- Affected modules may go into limp mode or shut down
- Specific functions inoperative depending on module
- Diagnostic tools may show communication faults
Common causes
Ordered by how often each turns out to be the cause.
- EPB actuator/motor marginalCommon
- EPB internal computation faultPossible
- Gateway module routing CAN messages incorrectlyLess likely
Parts involved
- Park Brake Module
- CAN Bus Wiring
U0438 is a generic OBD-II code defined by SAE J2012. Exact wording and diagnostic procedure vary by manufacturer and model. Code definitions are drawn from the public-domain OBDex dataset; the workshop notes are our own.