OBD-II Code
P1689
Severity
Not yet reviewed
Nobody on our side has assessed this code yet, so we are not going to guess at how serious it is.
Can you drive it
We cannot say
Treat it as unknown until a shop reads it with live data. If the check-engine light is FLASHING, stop driving as soon as it is safe to — that means an active misfire, whatever the code.
Indicative cost (USD)
$90–$1,600
From this code's diagnostic notes. Varies by vehicle, diagnosis, parts, and local labor. This is not a repair quote.
P1689 indicates a fault on the Delivered Torque output circuit between the PCM and the EBCM/TCS (traction control) module — the PCM publishes a calculated engine torque value over the serial data bus or, on older platforms, over a dedicated PWM circuit, and the traction control module uses this value to decide spark/fuel cuts during wheel slip.
How a shop works this
Work from evidence to part, not the other way round. A code names a circuit or a symptom; it does not name the part that failed.
Note every code that is set, not just this one.
Codes that appear together usually narrow the cause faster than any one of them read alone.
Read the freeze frame — the conditions the fault was recorded under.
Cold or warm, idle or load, road speed and engine speed. A fault that only appears cold is a different fault from one that only appears under load, even with the same code on the scanner.
Confirm the fault is current rather than history.
Clear the code and see whether it returns under those same conditions. A code that does not come back may have been logged during a repair, a flat battery, or a bad connection that has since been disturbed.
Then follow the diagnostic notes further down this page, in the order they are written.
They are written in the order a shop works this code, cheapest checks first. Where they name a component, inspect its wiring and connector before replacing it.
If the code comes back after a repair, the underlying fault is still there. That is the point to bring in a scanner with live data and freeze-frame, or a shop that has one.
Common symptoms
- Check engine light
Read the full diagnostic procedureP1689 indicates a fault on the Delivered Torque output circuit between the PCM and the EBCM/TCS (traction control) module — the PCM publishes a calcu…
P1689 indicates a fault on the Delivered Torque output circuit between the PCM and the EBCM/TCS (traction control) module — the PCM publishes a calculated engine torque value over the serial data bus or, on older platforms, over a dedicated PWM circuit, and the traction control module uses this value to decide spark/fuel cuts during wheel slip. P1689 sets when the EBCM detects the torque signal is missing, frozen, or out of physical range (e.g., reporting 600 Nm at idle).
Diagnose cheapest first
- pull codes from the EBCM, not just the PCM — if you see U-codes pointing to lost communication with the PCM, fix the bus issue first.
- If communication is healthy, scan-tool the Delivered Torque PID at idle (should read 30-80 Nm depending on accessory load) and snap-throttle to confirm it moves toward 200-300 Nm momentarily.
- If the PID is frozen at a value or absent from the data stream, the PCM's torque-model output is faulty (often a calibration mismatch after a salvage PCM swap) or the bus segment between PCM and EBCM is degraded.
- The expensive misdiagnosis: replacing the EBCM at $800+ when the actual fault is a mismatched PCM calibration that needs a $0 reflash to the correct part number.
Vehicle-specific patterns2003-2007 Silverado/Sierra/Tahoe/Yukon/Suburban 4.8L/5.3L/6.0L with StabiliTrak is the most common P1689 platform — when a PCM is replaced with a sal…
- 2003-2007Silverado/Sierra/Tahoe/Yukon/Suburban 4.8L/5.3L/6.0L with StabiliTrak is the most common P1689 platform — when a PCM is replaced with a salvage unit, the torque-output calibration doesn't match the EBCM's expected range.
- 2005-2009Trailblazer/Envoy 4.2L I6 sees P1689 from intermittent class-2 bus dropouts caused by a failing under-seat splice pack.
- 2007-2010Suburban/Yukon XL 5.3L/6.0L throws P1689 alongside knock-sensor codes when the under-intake knock sensor harness shorts and the PCM's torque model goes invalid — this is the classic LS truck knock harness failure (TSB 07-06-04-032).
- 2008-2012Acadia/Traverse/Enclave 3.6L LY7 sets P1689 from internal EBCM failure.
Estimated repair$90 to $1600.
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