2017~2024 CX-5 Check Engine light code P2610

[SurfDoggie]

ECM Engine Off Timer. Intermediate issues with check engine light coming on. At first dealership thought the gas cap might be loose. 4 weeks later, 5 phone calls and 2 visits to dealership turns out the battery was in the red.

Battery replaced issue solved.

I do have a question though. If they can throw up a light on the dashboard to tell you your key fob is battery is low why cant they have a light to show your battery is low instead of check engine

 

[SurfDoggie]

Also I just wanted to add the dealership wanted $136 to diagnose the check engine light code before they did any work. So in my mind its stupidity not to have a check battery light. I talked my way out of the diagnosis charge but it seems really wack

 

[Silly Wabbit]

My battery was on its last leg. when I tried to start the car, it skipped a beat before it was able to crank over. The engine light came on p2610. Car drove fine. Changed the battery, engine light went away.

 

[yrwei52]

I do have a question though. If they can throw up a light on the dashboard to tell you your key fob is battery is low why cant they have a light to show your battery is low instead of check engine

Yes that would be a good idea when the car computer detects the voltage of the car battery is low and display a message in dash. In my case I had trouble to release the EPB and triggered the EPB warning light when I started the engine the first thing in the morning. Once the battery got charged a bit with engine running and the EPB problem is gone. That’s how I know that I needed a new battery even though the battery had no problem to start the engine.

 

[ceric]

I replace the 12V battery on 3 yr schedule. No more than 4. It is <$100 at Costco unless you need Q85 (iStop, iEloop, etc.).

Strange errors/warnings show up when your 12V is not capable of powering the electronics/sensors.

 

[Glaucus]

I just got that code on my 2017 CX-9 GT (posting here because this is where my search for the P2610 code brought me). I just got my car back from the body shop, where it sat for about 3 days. When I drove it home today I noticed the CEL and pulled the code. I suppose it could be a failing battery, hard to say.

And then there's this creepy YouTube video that explains this code specifically:

Unlock Switch Circuit High
Battery voltage must be between 9-16V
The BCM detects a short to voltage or an open/high resistance in the door unlock control circuit for greater than 1 second.

So this certainly jives with what people are saying above here (low voltage detected). However, my car was in the shop because someone broke into my car recently. Not only did they smash the glass, but damaged the window guides, interior door panels and the exterior of both the front and back door (they got in via the rear, right window). Anyway, the damage was around $3000 total. And my guess is they had to take apart the door handle to change out the parts. This may have triggered this fault as well. That's my thinking.

Anyway, I started the car again and the CEL is off. So.... I guess that's a good thing? If it ever comes back I'll post.

 

[erhayes]

I think diagnostic charges result form people using the dealer to find out what's wrong and then take the car somewhere else or home for the fix. Usually they drop the charge or reduce the fix charge by the same amount. I don't blame a Mechanic for that.

 

[KMcBride]

ECM Engine Off Timer. Intermediate issues with check engine light coming on. At first dealership thought the gas cap might be loose. 4 weeks later, 5 phone calls and 2 visits to dealership turns out the battery was in the red.

Battery replaced issue solved.

I do have a question though. If they can throw up a light on the dashboard to tell you your key fob is battery is low why cant they have a light to show your battery is low instead of check engine

Thanks for these posts. When I received the check engine light and had the code identified as P2610, your post led me to get my battery changed and I have not had any issues since. I had also noticed a slight hesitation when starting the engine. (2017 CX5 original battery with 4 yrs 5 months of driving)

 

[2MazdaFam]

2016 Mazda CX-9 here. Check engine light came on. I have a little OBD code reader that plugs in to the fitting under the dash and uses a free phone app. I think it cost me $12. Highly recommended! It showed a P2610 code which I cleared, and it came back 1 week later. I cleared it again but it came back right away. But now car is laboring to start. The P2610 code indicates a problem with the engine's off timer which apparently can be caused by many things. I am hoping in my case that the cause is a weak battery, and the earlier replies in this thread give me hope! I will let you know. But I am surprised a dealer thought a P2610 code was caused by a loose gas cap. The loose gas cap is probably the most common cause for a check engine light, but I don't think it throws the P2610 code. Maybe that was his guess before reading the code?

 

[KMcBride]

2016 Mazda CX-9 here. Check engine light came on. I have a little OBD code reader that plugs in to the fitting under the dash and uses a free phone app. I think it cost me $12. Highly recommended! It showed a P2610 code which I cleared, and it came back 1 week later. I cleared it again but it came back right away. But now car is laboring to start. The P2610 code indicates a problem with the engine's off timer which apparently can be caused by many things. I am hoping in my case that the cause is a weak battery, and the earlier replies in this thread give me hope! I will let you know. But I am surprised a dealer thought a P2610 code was caused by a loose gas cap. The loose gas cap is probably the most common cause for a check engine light, but I don't think it throws the P2610 code. Maybe that was his guess before reading the code?

The hesitation on starting is a huge giveaway for this code indicating it is the battery. A new battery completely resolved my issues. Good luck!

 

[2MazdaFam]

Here is the followup: I put the battery on a charger and it went from 25% to 100% in a few hours. Then I was off the the autoparts store to buy a new battery. But first, I drove around the block and pulled back into the driveway. I had read that if the issue that generated the code (and CEL) was fixed or resolved, then the check engine light would turn off after 3 start/stop cycles. So I turned the car off and started it again. Then I turned it off and started it..... and the CEL turned itself off. So I drove to the autoparts store fully prepared to buy a new battery, but the battery checked out as 80% good. I cleared the stored code P2610 with my code reader, the CEL is staying off and it's been a full week now with car driven every day. That sure beats having a mechanic diagnose the code!

 

[arks]

Thanks for this thread! 2017 CX5 GT here. Got that code last week along with a BSM malfunction light on the dash. Scheduled an appointment with the dealer- they said $139.99 to diagnose EACH code!
I bought a new battery Saturday and went for a good long drive yesterday, no codes and all is well. Cancelled the appointment with the STEALERship!

 

[erhayes]

I bought my own code reader.

 

[Josb]

I just got the P2610 code on my 2017 CX5. Had the car in to the dealership for a regular oil change about a month ago and the battery tested fine during their inspection. We are in Chicago so the car took a little extra longer to turnover this morning given it's -11 outside. Do you think the code coming up could just be because it's cold out and the car needed to use a little extra juice to crank? Or is it worth just replacing the battery to be cautious?

 

[Glaucus]

I just got the P2610 code on my 2017 CX5. Had the car in to the dealership for a regular oil change about a month ago and the battery tested fine during their inspection. We are in Chicago so the car took a little extra longer to turnover this morning given it's -11 outside. Do you think the code coming up could just be because it's cold out and the car needed to use a little extra juice to crank? Or is it worth just replacing the battery to be cautious?

If you have a battery tester or multimeter, check out the battery to see if that's starting to fail. Batteries can fail rather quickly when they go, so you never know. If the battery is good I'd probably clear the code and see if it ever happens again. If it does, take it to a shop. My code has never returned.