P0A17
Motor Torque Sensor Circuit
- Severity
- Medium
- Driving
- Drive only to a garage
A fault in the drive motor torque sensor circuit on a hybrid or electric vehicle. Where the generator torque sensor tells the module about the half of the transaxle that makes electricity, this one covers the half that moves the car. The module uses it to confirm the motor is producing what was asked of it, and without that confirmation it will not commit full power to the wheels.
Possible causes
- CommonFailed torque sensor
- CommonCorroded or damaged connector at the transaxle
- CommonWiring damage in the harness
- PossibleLoss of reference voltage or earth
- PossibleLow 12 volt battery voltage
- RareFailed control module input
What you might notice
- Reduced power
- Hybrid or electric drive system warning message
- Vehicle refusing to move in electric mode
- Engine running more than usual on a hybrid, or not shutting down
- Poor fuel economy or reduced range
What to check, in order
- Check the 12 volt battery first - it is the most common cause of scattered hybrid system codes.
- Inspect the connector at the transaxle for corrosion and damage.
- Check the reference voltage and earth at the sensor.
- Read all codes - hybrid faults rarely appear alone, and the companion codes usually narrow it down.
- Do not attempt anything involving the orange high-voltage cabling. This sensor's circuit is low voltage, but it sits among components that are not.
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