P0226 — Throttle/Pedal Position Sensor/Switch C Circuit Range/Performance

Causes

• Faulty accelerator pedal position sensor (channel C) or throttle position sensor
• Open, short, or high resistance in signal, reference or ground wiring for sensor C
• Poor or corroded connector or pin at sensor or PCM
• Water ingress or contamination of sensor/connector
• Intermittent wiring fault caused by chafing or poor routing
• Failed throttle body/drive-by-wire actuator affecting sensor feedback

Symptoms

• Check Engine Light (MIL) illuminated with stored P0226
• Reduced engine power or limp-home mode (throttle derate)
• Poor or delayed throttle response, hesitation or surging
• Engine may idle poorly or stall when pedal is applied
• Throttle input PID for channel C does not track expected values or diverges from channels A/B

What to check

• Connect a scan tool and read freeze frame and all related throttle/pedal PIDs (channels A, B, C and throttle body position)
• Compare live values of sensor A, B and C during pedal travel — they should move smoothly and remain correlated
• Verify the PCM is receiving proper 5V reference and good ground at the sensor connector
• Inspect connector and wiring for corrosion, water, bent pins, chafing or damage; wiggle harness while watching live data for intermittent changes
• Backprobe signal wire and measure voltage at rest and while slowly operating the pedal
• Check for other stored codes that may indicate related issues (A/B correlation, throttle actuator faults)

Signal parameters

• Sensor reference voltage (typical): ~5.0 V (check vehicle spec)
• Sensor ground: ~0 V (low resistance to chassis/PCM ground)
• Sensor C signal typical range: ~0.2–4.8 V (varies by vehicle) — low at idle/pedal released (~0.2–1.0 V), high at wide open (~4.0–4.8 V)
• Expected behavior: channel C should change smoothly with pedal travel and remain correlated with channels A and B (no sudden jumps or opposite movement)
• Throttle body position sensor typically similar 0.5–4.5 V range; compare with pedal channels for plausibility

Similar codes

Causes

• Faulty accelerator pedal position sensor (channel C) or throttle position sensor
• Open, short, or high resistance in signal, reference or ground wiring for sensor C
• Poor or corroded connector or pin at sensor or PCM
• Water ingress or contamination of sensor/connector
• Intermittent wiring fault caused by chafing or poor routing
• Failed throttle body/drive-by-wire actuator affecting sensor feedback

Symptoms

• Check Engine Light (MIL) illuminated with stored P0226
• Reduced engine power or limp-home mode (throttle derate)
• Poor or delayed throttle response, hesitation or surging
• Engine may idle poorly or stall when pedal is applied
• Throttle input PID for channel C does not track expected values or diverges from channels A/B

What to check

• Connect a scan tool and read freeze frame and all related throttle/pedal PIDs (channels A, B, C and throttle body position)
• Compare live values of sensor A, B and C during pedal travel — they should move smoothly and remain correlated
• Verify the PCM is receiving proper 5V reference and good ground at the sensor connector
• Inspect connector and wiring for corrosion, water, bent pins, chafing or damage; wiggle harness while watching live data for intermittent changes
• Backprobe signal wire and measure voltage at rest and while slowly operating the pedal
• Check for other stored codes that may indicate related issues (A/B correlation, throttle actuator faults)

Signal parameters

• Sensor reference voltage (typical): ~5.0 V (check vehicle spec)
• Sensor ground: ~0 V (low resistance to chassis/PCM ground)
• Sensor C signal typical range: ~0.2–4.8 V (varies by vehicle) — low at idle/pedal released (~0.2–1.0 V), high at wide open (~4.0–4.8 V)
• Expected behavior: channel C should change smoothly with pedal travel and remain correlated with channels A and B (no sudden jumps or opposite movement)
• Throttle body position sensor typically similar 0.5–4.5 V range; compare with pedal channels for plausibility

Similar codes

Causes

• Faulty accelerator pedal position sensor (channel C) or throttle position sensor
• Open, short, or high resistance in signal, reference or ground wiring for sensor C
• Poor or corroded connector or pin at sensor or PCM
• Water ingress or contamination of sensor/connector
• Intermittent wiring fault caused by chafing or poor routing
• Failed throttle body/drive-by-wire actuator affecting sensor feedback

Symptoms

• Check Engine Light (MIL) illuminated with stored P0226
• Reduced engine power or limp-home mode (throttle derate)
• Poor or delayed throttle response, hesitation or surging
• Engine may idle poorly or stall when pedal is applied
• Throttle input PID for channel C does not track expected values or diverges from channels A/B

What to check

• Connect a scan tool and read freeze frame and all related throttle/pedal PIDs (channels A, B, C and throttle body position)
• Compare live values of sensor A, B and C during pedal travel — they should move smoothly and remain correlated
• Verify the PCM is receiving proper 5V reference and good ground at the sensor connector
• Inspect connector and wiring for corrosion, water, bent pins, chafing or damage; wiggle harness while watching live data for intermittent changes
• Backprobe signal wire and measure voltage at rest and while slowly operating the pedal
• Check for other stored codes that may indicate related issues (A/B correlation, throttle actuator faults)

Signal parameters

• Sensor reference voltage (typical): ~5.0 V (check vehicle spec)
• Sensor ground: ~0 V (low resistance to chassis/PCM ground)
• Sensor C signal typical range: ~0.2–4.8 V (varies by vehicle) — low at idle/pedal released (~0.2–1.0 V), high at wide open (~4.0–4.8 V)
• Expected behavior: channel C should change smoothly with pedal travel and remain correlated with channels A and B (no sudden jumps or opposite movement)
• Throttle body position sensor typically similar 0.5–4.5 V range; compare with pedal channels for plausibility

Similar codes

Causes

• Faulty accelerator pedal position sensor (channel C) or throttle position sensor
• Open, short, or high resistance in signal, reference or ground wiring for sensor C
• Poor or corroded connector or pin at sensor or PCM
• Water ingress or contamination of sensor/connector
• Intermittent wiring fault caused by chafing or poor routing
• Failed throttle body/drive-by-wire actuator affecting sensor feedback

Symptoms

• Check Engine Light (MIL) illuminated with stored P0226
• Reduced engine power or limp-home mode (throttle derate)
• Poor or delayed throttle response, hesitation or surging
• Engine may idle poorly or stall when pedal is applied
• Throttle input PID for channel C does not track expected values or diverges from channels A/B

What to check

• Connect a scan tool and read freeze frame and all related throttle/pedal PIDs (channels A, B, C and throttle body position)
• Compare live values of sensor A, B and C during pedal travel — they should move smoothly and remain correlated
• Verify the PCM is receiving proper 5V reference and good ground at the sensor connector
• Inspect connector and wiring for corrosion, water, bent pins, chafing or damage; wiggle harness while watching live data for intermittent changes
• Backprobe signal wire and measure voltage at rest and while slowly operating the pedal
• Check for other stored codes that may indicate related issues (A/B correlation, throttle actuator faults)

Signal parameters

• Sensor reference voltage (typical): ~5.0 V (check vehicle spec)
• Sensor ground: ~0 V (low resistance to chassis/PCM ground)
• Sensor C signal typical range: ~0.2–4.8 V (varies by vehicle) — low at idle/pedal released (~0.2–1.0 V), high at wide open (~4.0–4.8 V)
• Expected behavior: channel C should change smoothly with pedal travel and remain correlated with channels A and B (no sudden jumps or opposite movement)
• Throttle body position sensor typically similar 0.5–4.5 V range; compare with pedal channels for plausibility

Similar codes

Causes

• Faulty accelerator pedal position sensor (channel C) or throttle position sensor
• Open, short, or high resistance in signal, reference or ground wiring for sensor C
• Poor or corroded connector or pin at sensor or PCM
• Water ingress or contamination of sensor/connector
• Intermittent wiring fault caused by chafing or poor routing
• Failed throttle body/drive-by-wire actuator affecting sensor feedback

Symptoms

• Check Engine Light (MIL) illuminated with stored P0226
• Reduced engine power or limp-home mode (throttle derate)
• Poor or delayed throttle response, hesitation or surging
• Engine may idle poorly or stall when pedal is applied
• Throttle input PID for channel C does not track expected values or diverges from channels A/B

What to check

• Connect a scan tool and read freeze frame and all related throttle/pedal PIDs (channels A, B, C and throttle body position)
• Compare live values of sensor A, B and C during pedal travel — they should move smoothly and remain correlated
• Verify the PCM is receiving proper 5V reference and good ground at the sensor connector
• Inspect connector and wiring for corrosion, water, bent pins, chafing or damage; wiggle harness while watching live data for intermittent changes
• Backprobe signal wire and measure voltage at rest and while slowly operating the pedal
• Check for other stored codes that may indicate related issues (A/B correlation, throttle actuator faults)

Signal parameters

• Sensor reference voltage (typical): ~5.0 V (check vehicle spec)
• Sensor ground: ~0 V (low resistance to chassis/PCM ground)
• Sensor C signal typical range: ~0.2–4.8 V (varies by vehicle) — low at idle/pedal released (~0.2–1.0 V), high at wide open (~4.0–4.8 V)
• Expected behavior: channel C should change smoothly with pedal travel and remain correlated with channels A and B (no sudden jumps or opposite movement)
• Throttle body position sensor typically similar 0.5–4.5 V range; compare with pedal channels for plausibility

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