What does it mean?
P1176 is a Powertrain (engine, transmission, fuel system) fault code. It indicates: Electronic Throttle System Motor No. 1 Open or Shorted .
Symptoms
- Check engine light on together with the reduced power warning
- Engine drops into limp mode and will not rev past a low limit
- Throttle stuck at its default opening, so the vehicle crawls
- Unstable or very high idle, or stalling on stopping
- Cruise control disabled
- Throttle may click or buzz audibly when the ignition is switched on
Likely causes
- Open or shorted winding inside the throttle actuator motor
- Chafed motor drive wires shorting to each other, to ground or to voltage
- Corroded or loosened terminals in the throttle body connector
- Throttle plate jammed by carbon build-up or a foreign object, causing the motor to draw excessive current
- Return spring broken or the gear train inside the throttle body damaged
- Failed motor driver stage inside the engine control module
- Poor module ground or a supply fault feeding the driver stage
How to fix it
- Read all throttle-related codes, since several together often point to the throttle body itself
- Remove the intake duct and check that the throttle plate moves freely and returns without sticking
- Measure motor winding resistance across the two motor pins at the throttle body connector
- Test each motor drive wire for continuity to the module and for shorts to ground and to voltage
- Inspect the connector for corrosion, water and pin tension; look for melted terminals from overcurrent
- Clean carbon from the throttle bore and plate if the mechanism binds
- Replace the throttle body when the motor winding is out of specification, then run the throttle relearn procedure and verify operation in live data