P0016 on Buick vehicles The crankshaft and camshaft are not where they should be relative to each other — timing, chain or phaser

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.

Bulletins and campaigns Buick filed with NHTSA whose summary names P0016. Quote the document number at the service desk — it is a diagnosis the maker has already written down.

• PIP4548F Service bulletin
  2016-06-29 · Engine
• THIS PRELIMINARY INFORMATION COMMUNICATION ADVISES THE TECHNICIAN WHAT TO INSPECT IF CODES P0016 AND/OR P0017 ARE SETTING ON A PROPERLY TIMED ENGINE OR A CONDITION OF THE VEHICLE CRANKS BUT WILL NOT START. TECHNICIAN SHOULD INSPECT THE RESPECTIVE INTAKE OR EXHAUST CAMSHAFT RELUCTOR TO SEE IF IT HAS SPUN ON THE CAMSHAFT. THE RELUCTOR CANNOT BE REPOSITIONED SO THE CAMSHAFT MUST BE REPLACED. THE NEW
• PIP3423L Service bulletin
  2015-10-01 · Equipment Adaptive/Mobility
• This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician that Diagnostic Trouble Codes P0016, P0017, P0018, P0019, P0008 or P0009 may be set. Technician will need to inspect for loose timing chains or tensioners. If after following Service Information diagnostics the root cause is not found inspect the reluctor for the crankshaft sensor. If the reluctor has moved then repl
• PIP3423M Service bulletin
  2015-10-19 · Engine
• This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician that Diagnostic Trouble Codes P0016, P0017, P0018, P0019, P0008 or P0009 may be set. Technician will need to inspect for loose timing chains or tensioners. If after following Service Information diagnostics the root cause is not found inspect the reluctor for the crankshaft sensor. If the reluctor has moved then repl
• PIP3423N Service bulletin
  2017-08-23 · Engine
• This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician that Diagnostic Trouble Codes P0016, P0017, P0018, P0019, P0008 or P0009 may be set. Technician will need to inspect for loose timing chains or tensioners. If after following Service Information diagnostics the root cause is not found inspect the reluctor for the crankshaft sensor. If the reluctor has moved then repl
• PIP5730 Service bulletin
  2020-05-26 · Engine
• This Preliminary information communicates additional diagnostic information for DTC's P0016 and P0018.
• PIP5730A Service bulletin
  2020-12-29 · Equipment
• This Preliminary information communicates additional diagnostic information for DTC's P0016 and P0018.
• PIP5730A Service bulletin
  2020-12-29 · Equipment — Other — Owners/Service/Other Manual
• This Preliminary information communicates additional diagnostic information for DTC's P0016 and P0018.
• PIP3423P Service bulletin
  2018-08-09 · Engine
• This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician that Diagnostic Trouble Codes P0016, P0017, P0018, P0019, P0008 or P0009 may be set. Technician will need to inspect for loose timing chains or tensioners. If after following Service Information diagnostics the root cause is not found inspect the reluctor for the crankshaft sensor. If the reluctor has moved then repl
• PIP4548E Service bulletin
  2015-12-04 · Engine And Engine Cooling — Exhaust System
• This Preliminary Information communication advises the technician what to inspect if codes P0016 and/or P0017 are setting on a properly timed engine or a condition of the vehicle cranks but will not start. Technician should inspect the respective intake or exhaust camshaft reluctor to see if it has spun on the camshaft. The reluctor cannot be repositioned so the camshaft must be replaced. The new
• PIP6082 Service bulletin
  2025-08-22 · Unknown Or Other
• This Preliminary information communicates the possibility of an engine surge or misfire with one or more of the following dtc's P0300/P0011/P0014/P0016/P0017 due to potential debris in the cam actuators

A stored code names the test that failed, never the part that caused it. The record above is what Buick and its owners have filed about it; the code’s page across every make has the whole file.