What's the difference between restricted performance and failsafe?

 

Whenever I had the restricted performance warning it was alternating with the failsafe warning.

not much of a detailed answer, but there it is.

Z

 

What year is your car? According to the handbook on the 4.0 cars both messages mean the same thing - "loss of power or driveability". Accompanied by an amber warning light means you can keep driving, A red warning light means stop driving.

My guess would be that things like the throttle position sensor giving out of sync readings from the potentiometers would trigger "failsafe mode" as the ECU doesn't know the real throttle position and is substituting a lower value, whereas something like a failed coil would say "restricted performance" as the engine is no longer able to produce full power.

 

I always think of restricted performance as the car stopping me from causing any damage to it so forces me to keep the revs below 3k when it has something like an issue with a knock sensor or coil.

Limp mode is to stop me killing myself or someone else by forcing me to limp to a place of safety when something serious fails - brakes, steering etc.

There are technical descriptions in the handbooks but that's how I explain it
to my wife and
kids.

 

i need to have your family over for dinner, sounds like you have great conversations!

 

The difference is DTCs!
Some just limit (restrict) engine performance (failed components/sensors?) and some default to (failsafe) engine programmed parameters.(lack of information?)

Post the DTCs.