P0016Medium Priority

Crankshaft Position Camshaft Position Correlation Bank 1 Sensor A

Category: PowertrainFuel and Air Metering

40 articles · 7 makes affected

What is P0016?

P0016 indicates the engine's timing is out of sync between the crankshaft and camshaft on bank 1, which is a medium-severity powertrain issue that can cause poor performance and engine damage if ignored. This code is often triggered by mechanical timing component failures or oil-related problems affecting the variable valve timing system. Based on real owner data, this is a common issue in vehicles like the GMC Yukon and Toyota Tundra, with repair costs showing an extreme range from $4 to $3500.

Common Causes

  • Timing chain or belt wear or stretching, which is a frequent mechanical failure in high-mileage vehicles.
  • Oil leaks from the timing cover contaminating components, as reported in multiple Toyota Tundra cases where the alternator was caked in oil.
  • Variable valve timing (VVT) solenoid or phaser malfunction, which directly controls camshaft timing.

Symptoms You May Notice

  • Reduced engine power, with owners reporting up to 25% power loss, as mentioned in Toyota Tundra experiences.
  • Poor shifting or transmission performance, noted by owners who said the truck 'shifts like it should' after repair.
  • Illuminated check engine light, which is the primary indicator that triggers this diagnostic code.

How to Fix It

  • Timing chain/belt replacement with associated components ($500-$2000, high difficulty - only 4% DIY rate)
  • Repair of timing cover oil leaks and cleaning of oil-fouled components ($300-$800, medium difficulty)
  • Replacement of variable valve timing solenoid or phaser ($150-$400, medium difficulty)

Root Causesfor P0016

Based on 10 owner reports

Confirmed Causes

  • 1
    having to bridge the wires(10% of cases)
  • 2
    short days(10% of cases)

What Didn't Help

Repairs that owners tried but didn't fix the issue

gotten into the wiring yet to inspect/scopehesitant or down on powerpassed since dtc clearedpassed since power up

Things to Check

Suggested areas to investigate based on similar cases

couple issuesengine light came back onengine light was onlooking at the cam phaser issue

DIY Diagnostic Guide

Tools Needed

OBD ScannerOscilloscope

DIY Diagnostic Checklist

Based on 10 owner reports

Progress0%

Tools Needed

OBD ScannerOscilloscope
Step 1check: engine light came back on
Step 2check: engine light was on

Owner Statistics

Based on 147,442 real owner discussions • 4420 confirmed solutions

Dataset (147,442 records)
$3,029
Average Repair Cost
3%
Success Rate
25%
DIY Repairs
147,442
Data Sources

About This Data

Statistics are aggregated from real owner discussions on Reddit, automotive forums, and YouTube comments. All data is anonymized and represents actual repair experiences reported by vehicle owners.

Frequently Appears With

These codes often appear together in owner reports. Check these if you see P0016.

Based on analysis of 12 owner reports where multiple codes appeared together.

Issues by Vehicle

TOYOTA

GMC