P0012 on Mazda vehicles
P0012 is named on 6 Mazda model years (2018–2025): 6 manufacturer filings and 0 owner reports in NHTSA’s files, across CX-70, CX-90, Mazda3, Mazda6.
Which Mazda model years name P0012
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications and complaints| Model year | Filed under | Bulletins | Owner reports |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Mazda CX-70 | Engine | 1 | — |
| 2025 Mazda CX-90 | Engine | 1 | — |
| 2024 Mazda CX-90 | Engine | 1 | — |
| 2020 Mazda Mazda3 | Engine | 1 | — |
| 2019 Mazda Mazda3 | Power Train | 1 | — |
| 2018 Mazda Mazda6 | Engine | 1 | — |
A model year is listed because the code is named in its own record — a bulletin filed against it, or an owner’s complaint about it — not because every one of these vehicles sets it. Counts are documents in NHTSA’s files, not failure rates.
Mazda filings that name P0012
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communicationsBulletins and campaigns Mazda filed with NHTSA whose summary names P0012. Quote the document number at the service desk — it is a diagnosis the maker has already written down.
- SA-033-25 Service bulletin2025-06-20 · Engine
- Some vehicles may experience a CHECK ENGINE light ON with DTC P0012, P0011, and possibly P0010. This may be caused by a malfunction in the intake EVVT motor that prevents it from accurately regulating the intake camshaft timing.
- 01-021-19-3649 Service bulletin2019-12-13 · Engine And Engine Cooling
- Some customers may experience the CHECK ENGINE light ON with DTC P0012:00 (Electric variable valve timing control system: Over-retarded) stored in PCM memory. NOTE: This concern occurs only on the vehicles with PCMs manufactured by MITSUBISHI. This is caused by improper control logic of the PCM detecting a false error. To correct this issue, the PCM software has been modified. NOTE: The VVT actuat
- 01-014-19-3618 Service bulletin2019-08-01 · Engine And Engine Cooling
- Some customers may experience a check engine light illuminating with DTC P0012:00 stored in PCM memory. DTC P0012:00 - Electric variable valve timing control system: Over-retarded. NOTE: This concern occurs only on vehicles with PCMs manufactured by MITSUBISHI. Due to improper control logic of the PCM, a false error may be detected. To eliminate this concern, the PCM software has been modified.
What P0012 means
Source: SAE J2012 / OBD-IIP0012 sits in the generic range of the OBD-II standard, so it means the same thing on every vehicle sold in the United States — but WhichTrim does not carry a definition for it and will not invent one. What is on this page is the record: who named it and on what.
A stored code names the test that failed, never the part that caused it. The record above is what Mazda and its owners have filed about it; the code’s page across every make has the whole file.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA files and the OBD-II standardIs P0012 a known problem on Mazda vehicles?
It is a documented one: NHTSA's files hold 6 manufacturer filings and 0 owner reports naming P0012 on 6 Mazda model years (2018–2025). Whether it is a problem on one particular car is a diagnosis, not a count — but a bulletin that names the code on your model year is the place to start.
Which Mazda models does P0012 appear on most?
2025 CX-70 (1 document), 2025 CX-90 (1 document), 2024 CX-90 (1 document).
Does P0012 on a Mazda mean it is recalled?
No. Recalls are filed by campaign and matched by VIN; no recall is triggered by a scan tool. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls, or open the model year's page here for the campaigns filed against it.