P0A20
Motor Torque Sensor Circuit High
- Severity
- Medium
- Driving
- Drive only to a garage
The drive motor torque sensor signal is stuck high - typically a short to voltage or a lost earth. The module has no usable torque reading from the motor, so it will restrict the drive rather than operate it blind.
Possible causes
- CommonWiring a short to voltage or a lost earth between the sensor and the module
- CommonCorroded or damaged connector at the transaxle
- CommonFailed sensor
- CommonLoss of the reference voltage or earth
- PossibleLow 12 volt battery voltage
What you might notice
- Reduced power
- Hybrid or electric drive system warning message
- Vehicle refusing electric drive
- Engine running constantly on a hybrid
What to check, in order
- Check the 12 volt battery first - it is the most common cause of scattered hybrid system codes.
- Unplug the sensor and check whether the high reading persists at the harness.
- Check the reference voltage and earth - a lost earth commonly drives a signal high.
- Inspect the connector at the transaxle for corrosion.
- Do not disturb anything orange while working around the transaxle.
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