Do fault codes get recorded and stored with a time stamp and date into a master log with a history of DTCs?

Question

I am shocked that I have not been able to find a "master list" of all DTC fault codes that have ever been pulled or pinged on my vehicle. Code P17F0 came up a year ago at a dealership where the previous owner declined to fix the issue. The code was not cleared from the car. The owner traded in the car and I ended up buying it not knowing or being told this code had ever come up. The dealership the car was traded in at was different than the one who pulled the code to begin with. The selling dealership claims that they scanned my the car and nothing came back as "faulty". But, they do not have anything to prove this. Not a printout or anything showing this specific code came up or was okay. Is there device or some way to scan my car and see a list of anytime this code was pinged? Even if it just showed the dates this code was pinged would be great. I know it came up in July 2022 (first time it showed up), then again 6/2/2023 when I got an oil change and when I found all of this out, then again on 6/7/2023 when I took it into the dealership I bought it from and made them scan the car in front of me. I need to see if this code was pulled in January or February of 2023. I have a 2017 Infiniti QX60 and because it's newer and more tech savvy if you will, I would assume there would be a way that the car stored every time it was scanned and the outcome of that scan. My other thought is that the dealership would have a record of when they scanned the car and the results, but getting them to be honest is another fight. Would I be able to call a corporate number and request all service/scan documents for my car? Please help people. I could be paying close to $9k for a new transmission that should have been dealt with long before I bought the car.

Answer 1

No. Most codes are volatile. There aren't any date stamps on anything, so if one pops up, you won't know when exactly it happens. Codes are meant as an indicator. Once the issue is no longer present, the code goes away. If the ECM is reset, the code goes away until the condition is met again and then it will pop up as a new code. There is nothing kept long term.