Code PM_a003 was reported by the “Pedal monitor” controller in the car. The letter “a” in the middle places it among entries of the alert type.
The Pedal Monitor — independent supervision of the accelerator pedal and torque. It makes sure the car only accelerates when the driver actually asks it to. Being a safety function, its codes lead to reduced power.
The most common type. The car logged the event and may have shown it on the screen. The range is wide — from something trivial that clears itself to something that needs attention.
This is how the fault is named inside the car's firmware. For codes without a description it is the most precise clue there is — the name itself says what the event is about.
The text below comes from Tesla's technical documentation. We leave it in the original English so that translation cannot shift its meaning.
Pedal Monitor Warning: Torque Reversal.
The safety monitor sets this condition torque production error is detected.
Pedal Monitor Warning: Gear Shifter CAN node is missing.
The safety monitor sets this condition when CAN communication from Gear Shifter CAN node is considered irrational or missing.
Gear Shifter CAN node is considered not communicating on CAN for remainder of drive cycle.
Pedal Monitor Warning: Secondary CAN Integrity Check Failed.
This condiiton is set when CAN communication from an offending ECU is intermittent, or fails a communication integrity check on the primary CAN bus.
This alert will clear when CAN communication is re-established with the offending ECU.
No immediate impact, may lead to indicating an MIA condition for the offending ECU if sustained.
Pedal Monitor Warning: Absolute Torque.
This condiiton is set when CAN peripheral hardware indicates an overrun or transmission error on the primary CAN bus.
Pedal Monitor Warning: Inconsistent AEB state.
The safety monitor sets this condition when sensor or other ECU inputs into AEB are deemed implausible.
The safety monitor will disable automatic emergency braking (AEB) for the remainder of the drive cycle.
Pedal Monitor Warning: Cruise Control CAN node is missing.
The safety monitor sets this condition when CAN communication from Cruise Control CAN node is considered irrational or missing.
Cruise Control CAN node is considered not communicating on CAN for remainder of drive cycle.
Pedal Monitor Warning: CMP CAN node is missing.
The safety monitor sets this condition when CAN communication from CMP is considered irrational or missing.
CMP is considered not communicating on CAN for remainder of drive cycle.
Pedal Monitor Warning: Memory corruption detected.
Pedal Monitor Warning: Stability Control is interfering with driver's ability to decelerate.
Pedal Monitor Warning: High Stack Usage.
Pedal Monitor Warning: Deceleration Torque.
Copy it exactly, letter and number included. Photographing the screen is safest — codes often differ by a single digit, and mixing them up leads somewhere else entirely.
Some codes clear after a screen restart or after the car sits locked for a few hours. If the code does not come back, it was usually a one-off glitch.
A one-off entry and a code that appears after every drive are two different things. It helps a service centre enormously if you know exactly when it shows up.
With airbags, brakes, steering and high voltage there is no point waiting it out. With the other groups you can watch and see whether the code returns at all.
Error codes are only part of the picture. For cars on TesList you also see battery health pulled straight from the vehicle, plus a price calculator that works out from current listings what a given car is actually worth today.