Glossary
Active vs stored: Fault-code state
Whether a code is present now or was recorded earlier and kept in memory.
Definition updated 2026-10-25 · Report a correction
What active and stored mean
An active code means the controller sees the fault condition at the time of the read. A stored code, sometimes called history, means the controller kept a record of a condition that may no longer be present. The exact terms vary by manufacturer. Some manuals use active and stored, some use current and history, and some print a fault-setting or fault-healing column instead of a state label.
The distinction matters because a stored code can outlive the condition that set it. A code can also move from active to stored after a key cycle or after the controller completes a self-check. The archive publishes the printed code definition, not a live state from a connected machine.
How the archive records state
The archive keeps the columns that the source publishes. When a module table has a fault-setting column, the page shows the printed setting condition. When it has a fault-healing column, the page shows the printed healing condition. Those columns are not a universal state model; they are the manufacturer’s wording for that table.
Some pages use the word active in a code label, such as an active-descent control system. That is a system name, not a statement that the code is active on a machine. The context of the row matters.
Clearing a code and clearing a cause
Clearing a stored code removes the controller’s record. It does not change the underlying circuit or condition. An active code can return immediately after a clear if the condition is still present, and a stored code can remain absent if the condition has gone away. The archive does not instruct a reader to clear codes or to treat a clear as a repair.
The check and clear guide explains how the manuals describe the read-and-clear sequence. It is a source-reading guide, not a repair procedure.
What to record
When comparing a code with the archive, record the model year, the code, the printed label, the module, and whether the source calls it active or stored. Those details make the lookup reproducible and keep a stored code from being confused with a current condition. The DTC entry covers the umbrella term, and the ECU / ECM entry explains why the module matters.