Drive DTCFor Ford, Lincoln & Mercury · 1996 and newer · Windows 10 & 11
See what your Ford sees. Without changing a thing.
Drive DTC turns a USB OBD-II adapter and your Windows PC into a clear, modern scan tool: trouble codes in plain English, live gauges, engine health, recalls and a history of every checkup – read-only by design.
- Finds your adapter by itself
- Free to start
- Pay monthly, or own it for good
2014 F-150 · 3.5L EcoBoost Checkup complete
Safe to drive — two things to watch.
- P0171System too lean, Bank 1Stored
- EVAPMonitor not readyIncomplete
4 modules answered · nothing written to the vehicle
72
of 100 · Fair
Health score
An example of a finished checkup. Your vehicle's numbers will be its own.
How it works
Plug in, press one button, read the answer
No drivers to hunt for and nothing to configure. Drive DTC talks to the adapter people already own.
Plug in a USB adapter
An ELM327-compatible USB OBD-II adapter goes into the port under the dash and a USB port on your Windows PC. Bluetooth adapters that show up as a COM port can work, but USB is faster and more reliable.
Drive DTC finds it
No hunting for COM ports or baud rates. Drive DTC spots the adapter, remembers it, and can connect the moment you plug it in.
Run a checkup
Codes, readiness monitors, misfire counts for every cylinder and battery voltage in about ten seconds, summed up in a 0–100 health score. A quick summary, not a diagnosis.
One app
From the OBD-II port to the paperwork
Each part builds on the one before it. Start with what the vehicle says; keep it, report it, and – if you run a shop – hand it to a customer.
Vehicle
The VIN, model and engine from NHTSA, open recalls for that model, and a one-button checkup with a 0–100 score.
FreeDiagnostics
Trouble codes in plain English, live data, engine health, a modules scan, symptoms and warning lights.
FreeReports
An HTML report of every checkup. Pro adds PDF, cloud sync and share links that work for 30 days.
Free · ProGarage
Every checkup saved per vehicle, before/after compare, maintenance reminders and a fuel log.
ProShop
Customer details on each vehicle, reports branded with your shop, and estimates a customer approves on their phone.
ShopDiagnostics
Everything the vehicle will tell you
Read at a glance: the vehicle is named at the top of every screen, and anything the vehicle said is set in a monospace face so a part number reads the same every time.
Trouble codes in plain English
Engine, transmission, ABS and airbag codes with what they mean, freeze-frame data from the moment they set, and a safe way to clear engine codes. ABS and airbag codes come with the Ford pack (coming soon) or Drive DTC Shop.
Live data & recording
Gauges for 35+ values – RPM, boost, temperatures, fuel trims – plus Ford transmission temperature and tire pressures when your vehicle has them. Record drives and replay them.
Engine health
Readiness monitors with drive-cycle hints, misfire counts per cylinder, self-test results and fuel trims – plus what the vehicle reports about passing an emissions test. Not an official result.
Modules scan New
A network scan of every module on the bus: what each one says about itself and which codes it holds. Read-only, like everything else.
Symptoms
Start from what the vehicle is doing rather than from a code. It walks through the readings a mechanic would take, in the order that rules things out fastest.
Warning lights
What the symbol on the dash means and what to do about it – with nothing plugged in.
Vehicle & records
Your vehicle, on record
Start with what the vehicle is. Keep what it said, so the next checkup has something to compare with.
- VIN, model and recalls. Reads your VIN and shows the exact model, trim and engine, plus safety recalls for that model from NHTSA's public database.
- Garage history. Every checkup saved per vehicle, plus a fuel log, photos and receipts. Pro
- Before and after. Compare the checkup before a repair with the one after it. Pro
- Maintenance. Save a few checkups or fill-ups with the odometer and Drive DTC turns the mileage intervals into dates. Pro
Reports
A report anyone can open
Every checkup can become a report your mechanic, your buyer or your customer opens in any browser. Free makes an HTML report; Pro adds PDF, print and share links.
What a report contains
- VehicleName, VIN, model year, mileage and the battery voltage at the OBD port
- Health scoreOut of 100, with the same label the app shows
- Trouble codesCode, status, module and description – or “No codes”
- ReadinessEach emissions monitor and its state
- MisfiresRecent average and current trip, per cylinder
- NotesWhatever you wrote on the scan
- Shop extrasYour branding, an inspection, a work order or estimate, and a customer coupon Shop
Two pages made for sharing
- Shared vehicle report. A share link opens a read-only snapshot. The report is sealed on your computer and the key travels after the # in the link – a part of the address browsers never send to a server. Links work for 30 days. Pro
- Approve this estimate. A customer sees the work, the parts and labor total and the tax, then approves it or asks a question from their phone. Their answer goes straight back to the shop, with the time they gave it. Shop
Reports are read-only snapshots for information only and expire automatically.
For shops
For repair shops and dealers
Everything in Pro, plus what it takes to hand a customer a report that carries your name. There's no shelf price – Shop is quoted per shop, by how many of you there are.
- Customer details on each vehicle
- Reports branded with your shop's name, phone, email, address and logo
- A customer coupon printed on reports
- Email the customer their report
- Estimates a customer approves on their phone
- A Customers page: customer book, fleets and follow-up calls
- Every brand pack included
Safety
Read-only by design
Every message to your vehicle passes a built-in safety guard. Anything that isn't a read is refused in the code – there's no hidden setting to turn it on.
What Drive DTC reads
- Live data, freeze frame and vehicle information (VIN)
- Stored, pending and permanent trouble codes
- ABS and airbag trouble codes (Ford pack)
- Readiness monitors and misfire counters
- Battery voltage at the OBD port
- A short list of Ford values: transmission temperature and tire pressures (Ford pack)
What it can never do
- Change module settings (As-Built / configuration)
- Program, flash or update modules
- Security unlocks, resets or special sessions
- Actuator or output tests
- Clear ABS or airbag codes (that's a job for a shop after the repair)
- Talk to any module or data ID that isn't on its list
The one action that changes anything is clearing trouble codes, and you have to type CLEAR to confirm. Every message is shown in the app's safety log.
Compatibility
Works with your Ford
Any OBD-II vehicle from Ford, Lincoln or Mercury, and the adapters people already own.
Ford, Lincoln and Mercury cars, trucks and SUVs with OBD-II.
CAN vehicles get every feature, including misfire counts – plus ABS and airbag codes and Ford data with the Ford pack.
Older protocols: trouble codes, live data, freeze frame and readiness.
OHP ELMconfig, OBDLink SX, vLinker FS and other ELM327-compatible adapters.
Pricing
Start free. Choose how you pay.
Pro is billed monthly, or bought once and yours for good. Shop is quoted per shop – ask us what it would cost. Brand packs are still one-time purchases, with prices coming soon.
Free
Everything you need to diagnose
$0
Free account or license code
- Health checkup & score
- Engine trouble codes on any brand
- Freeze frame & clearing engine codes
- Live data, recording & replay
- Readiness & misfire counts
- Vehicle details & recalls
- HTML reports
- Demo vehicle with every feature
Pro
MonthlyHistory, reports and sync for your own vehicles
$10/month
or $120 once, and it is yours for good
- Everything in Free
- Towing screen & custom alerts
- Performance timers & fuel economy
- Garage, history & before/after compare
- Battery & charging test
- PDF reports
- Cloud sync & share links
Shop
QuotedFor repair shops and dealers
Let's talk
Priced per shop, by how many of you there are
- Everything in Pro
- Every brand pack included
- Customer details on each vehicle
- Reports branded with your shop
FAQ
Questions
Can Drive DTC change or damage my vehicle's settings?
No. Every request passes a safety guard that only allows standard read requests and a few Ford readings like transmission temperature and tire pressures. Programming, module configuration, security unlocks, resets and actuator tests are blocked in the code itself. The only thing that changes anything is clearing trouble codes, which asks you to type CLEAR first.
Which adapter do I need?
A USB ELM327-compatible OBD-II adapter – for example the OHP ELMconfig (set its switch to HS-CAN), OBDLink SX or vLinker FS USB. Drive DTC finds the adapter's COM port by itself. Bluetooth adapters that show up as a COM port can work, but USB is faster and more reliable.
Will it work with my vehicle?
Every 1996-or-newer Ford, Lincoln and Mercury sold in the U.S. has OBD-II. 2008 and newer models (CAN) get every feature, including ABS and airbag codes with the Ford pack; older models get trouble codes, live data, freeze frame and readiness. Ford-specific extras show up automatically when your vehicle answers them.
Is this FORScan?
No. Drive DTC isn't affiliated with FORScan or Ford. It's built for reading and understanding your vehicle safely, so it deliberately doesn't do module programming or configuration. There's an honest comparison, including where Drive DTC loses.
Do I need an account?
Yes – a free Drive DTC account, which you can create right in the app in under a minute. If someone gave you a license code, you can enter that instead. With Pro, your account also adds cloud sync and share links.
What happens to my data?
Your garage stays on your computer unless you turn on sync. We don't sell data or show ads. The details are in our privacy policy.
Know what's going on under the hood.
Free to start, read-only by design, and made for Ford owners and shops.