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Diagnostic trouble code

C1A16

6 owner reports and 170 manufacturer filings across 142 model years from Infiniti, Nissan.

ChassisManufacturer-specific170 manufacturer filings6 owner reports

Where C1A16 shows up

Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications and complaints
Model yearFiled underBulletinsOwner reports
2016 Nissan MuranoElectrical System6—
2018 Nissan RogueElectrical System32
2017 Infiniti Q50Electrical System21
2016 Nissan AltimaElectrical System3—
2016 Nissan MaximaElectrical System3—
2017 Nissan RogueElectrical System3—
2016 Nissan RogueElectrical System3—
2016 Nissan SentraElectrical System3—
2018 Infiniti Q50Electrical System2—
2016 Infiniti Q50Electrical System2—
2018 Infiniti Q70Electrical System2—
2017 Infiniti Q70Electrical System2—
2016 Infiniti Q70Electrical System2—
2019 Infiniti QX60Electrical System2—
2018 Infiniti QX60Electrical System2—
2017 Infiniti QX60Electrical System2—
2016 Infiniti QX60Electrical System2—
2019 Nissan AltimaElectrical System11
2018 Nissan AltimaElectrical System11
2017 Nissan MuranoElectrical System2—
2019 Nissan SentraElectrical System11
2024 Infiniti Q50Forward Collision Avoidance1—
2023 Infiniti Q50Forward Collision Avoidance1—
2022 Infiniti Q50Forward Collision Avoidance1—
2021 Infiniti Q50Electrical System1—
2020 Infiniti Q50Electrical System1—
2019 Infiniti Q50Electrical System1—
2022 Infiniti Q60Forward Collision Avoidance1—
2021 Infiniti Q60Electrical System1—
2020 Infiniti Q60Electrical System1—
2019 Infiniti Q60Forward Collision Avoidance1—
2018 Infiniti Q60Electrical System1—
2017 Infiniti Q60Electrical System1—
2019 Infiniti Q70Forward Collision Avoidance1—
2024 Infiniti QX50Forward Collision Avoidance1—
2023 Infiniti QX50Electrical System1—
2022 Infiniti QX50Electrical System1—
2021 Infiniti QX50Forward Collision Avoidance1—
2020 Infiniti QX50Electrical System1—
2019 Infiniti QX50Electrical System1—
2024 Infiniti QX55Forward Collision Avoidance1—
2023 Infiniti QX55Electrical System1—
2022 Infiniti QX55Forward Collision Avoidance1—
2024 Infiniti QX60Forward Collision Avoidance1—
2023 Infiniti QX60Forward Collision Avoidance1—
2022 Infiniti QX60Electrical System1—
2020 Infiniti QX60Electrical System1—
2024 Infiniti QX80Electrical System1—
2023 Infiniti QX80Electrical System1—
2022 Infiniti QX80Electrical System1—
2021 Infiniti QX80Electrical System1—
2020 Infiniti QX80Electrical System1—
2019 Infiniti QX80Forward Collision Avoidance1—
2018 Infiniti QX80Electrical System1—
2017 Infiniti QX80Electrical System1—
2016 Infiniti QX80Electrical System1—
2023 Nissan AltimaElectrical System1—
2022 Nissan AltimaForward Collision Avoidance1—
2021 Nissan AltimaElectrical System1—
2020 Nissan AltimaElectrical System1—

Showing the 60 model years where C1A16 appears most; it is on file for 142 in total.

A model year appears here because the code is named in its record, not because every one of these vehicles sets it. Counts are mentions in the federal files, not failure rates — nobody publishes the denominator.

What it gets filed under

Electrical System 150Forward Collision Avoidance 20Service Brakes 4Unspecified 2
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What owners said

Source: NHTSA complaint database

Owners’ own words, one per nameplate, scrubbed of anything identifying. These are unverified reports filed with NHTSA — they are what was said, not a finding that it was true.

Took it to Nissan, they diagnose 2 codes that comes up in the TSB, dtc C1A16 (radar blocked) and dtc C1A12 (laser beam off-center) stating that it is a safety issue but I still had to pay diagnosis and the part and labor to fix it
2019 Nissan Sentraat 38,000 milesApr 13, 2021NHTSA owner report
On august 20, 2019 vehicle was again brought in and documented that the system had failed showing 'radar stain code C1A16'
2018 Nissan Rogueat 14,000 milesSep 5, 2019NHTSA owner report

Manufacturer filings that name it

Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications

Service bulletins and campaigns whose filed summary names C1A16. Quoting the document number at a service desk is often the fastest route to a diagnosis someone has already written down.

What C1A16 means

Source: SAE J2012 / OBD-II

C1A16 is a manufacturer-specific code: the second character is a 1, which under the OBD-II standard hands the definition to whoever built the vehicle. The same code can mean one thing on a Ford and something unrelated on a Hyundai. Any site that prints a single definition for it is guessing.

A stored code names the test that failed, never the part that caused it. It is the starting point of a diagnosis, not its conclusion — the same code has several possible causes and the cheap one is not always right.

Common questions about C1A16

Source: NHTSA files and the OBD-II standard

Why does this page not define C1A16?

Because it cannot be defined honestly. The second character of a trouble code says who owns its meaning, and a 1 or a 3 hands that to the manufacturer. Sites that print one definition for a manufacturer-specific code are showing you one automaker's meaning and hoping it is yours.

Can I keep driving with C1A16 stored?

Nobody can answer that from the code alone, and a site that does is guessing. A steady light generally means the fault was logged and the vehicle is in a reduced-risk mode; a flashing light means stop soon, because a misfiring engine can destroy a catalytic converter in minutes. The safe read of this page is the mileage and the components, not permission.

Does a code mean the car is recalled?

No. Recalls are filed by campaign and matched by VIN, and none of them are triggered by a scan tool. If you want to know whether an open recall applies to one specific vehicle, check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls — that is the only source that settles it.

Why do the counts here differ from other sites?

Because these are not estimates. Every number on this page is a count of documents in NHTSA's own files: manufacturer communications that name the code in their filed summary, and owner complaints that name it in the narrative. We do not model, weight or extrapolate them.

Will clearing the code fix it?

Clearing turns the light off and erases the freeze-frame data a technician would have used to work out what happened. If the condition is still there the code returns, usually within a few drive cycles, and the diagnosis now starts from less information than before.