P0226
Throttle/Pedal Position Sensor/Switch "C" Circuit Range/Performance
- Severity
- High
- Driving
- Drive only to a garage
Throttle or pedal position sensor "C" is producing a signal that is within its electrical range but does not agree with what the module expects from the other inputs. The sensor is not obviously broken - it is disagreeing, which is often harder to find and just as likely to trigger reduced power.
Possible causes
- CommonSensor drifting out of calibration with wear
- CommonCarbon build-up on the throttle plate
- PossiblePoor connection adding resistance to the signal
- PossibleVacuum leak making actual airflow disagree with throttle angle
- PossibleThrottle body mechanically worn or sticking
What you might notice
- Hesitation or surging under light throttle
- Reduced power mode
- Unstable idle
- Warning light on
What to check, in order
- Watch pedal position against throttle position on the live data screen through a slow full sweep of the pedal. They should track each other smoothly.
- Look for carbon build-up around the throttle plate, which stops it closing fully and makes the reported angle disagree with reality.
- Check for vacuum leaks - unmetered air makes a correct throttle angle look wrong.
- Inspect the connector for corrosion adding resistance.
- Check for other stored codes; a correlation code alongside this one narrows it to the sensor rather than the air path.
Read this code from your own car
Plug an ELM327 adapter into the OBD-II port under the dashboard. Pin16 reads every stored, pending and permanent code, explains each one like this page does — offline, with no account — and shows what the car recorded when the fault was set.
Where this code sits
P00xxP01xxP02xxP03xxP04xxP05xxP06xxP07xxP08xxP09xxP0AxxP0BxxP0CxxP0DxxP0ExxP0FxxP10xxP11xxP12xxP13xxP14xxP15xxP16xxP17xxP18xxP19xxP1AxxP1BxxP1CxxP1DxxP1ExxP1FxxP20xxP21xxP22xxP23xxP24xxP25xxP26xxP27xxP28xxP29xxP2AxxP2BxxP2CxxP2DxxP2ExxP2FxxP30xxP31xxP32xxP33xxP34xxP35xxP36xxP37xxP38xxP39xxP3AxxP3BxxP3CxxP3DxxP3ExxP3Fxx
Fuel and air metering - injector circuits
P0200P0201P0202P0203P0204P0205P0206P0207P0208P0209P0210P0211P0212P0213P0214P0215P0216P0217P0218P0219P0220P0221P0222P0223P0224P0225P0226P0227P0228P0229P0230P0231P0232P0233P0234P0235P0236P0237P0238P0239P0240P0241P0242P0243P0244P0245P0246P0247P0248P0249P0250P0251P0252P0253P0254P0255P0256P0257P0258P0259P0260P0261P0262P0263P0264P0265P0266P0267P0268P0269P0270P0271P0272P0273P0274P0275P0276P0277P0278P0279P0280P0281P0282P0283P0284P0285P0286P0287P0288P0289P0290P0291P0292P0293P0294P0295P0296P0297P0298P0299