P0017 on Chevrolet vehicles
P0017 is named on 13 Chevrolet model years (2016–2025): 25 manufacturer filings and 9 owner reports in NHTSA’s files, across Equinox, Colorado, Impala, Traverse, Malibu and 3 more.
Which Chevrolet model years name P0017
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications and complaints| Model year | Filed under | Bulletins | Owner reports |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 Chevrolet Equinox | Engine | 6 | 2 |
| 2016 Chevrolet Colorado | Equipment Adaptive/Mobility | 4 | 1 |
| 2016 Chevrolet Impala | Equipment Adaptive/Mobility | 4 | — |
| 2016 Chevrolet Traverse | Engine | 4 | — |
| 2019 Chevrolet Malibu | Engine | — | 3 |
| 2020 Chevrolet Equinox | Fuel/Propulsion System | — | 2 |
| 2017 Chevrolet Equinox | Engine | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 Chevrolet Trailblazer | Not specified | 1 | — |
| 2019 Chevrolet Impala | Engine | 1 | — |
| 2018 Chevrolet Impala | Engine | 1 | — |
| 2017 Chevrolet Traverse | Engine | 1 | — |
| 2016 Chevrolet Cruze | Electrical System | 1 | — |
| 2016 Chevrolet Sonic | Electrical System | 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.
What Chevrolet owners said
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners’ own words, scrubbed of anything identifying. Unverified reports filed with NHTSA — what was said, not a finding that it was true.
Technician Notes: Customer concern verified with DTCs P0014 (Exhaust Camshaft Position System Performance) and P0017 (Exhaust Camshaft Position Not Plausible)
Chevrolet filings that name P0017
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communicationsBulletins and campaigns Chevrolet filed with NHTSA whose summary names P0017. Quote the document number at the service desk — it is a diagnosis the maker has already written down.
- PIP4548F Service bulletin2016-06-29 · 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 bulletin2015-10-01 · 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 bulletin2015-10-19 · 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
- PIP3423N Service bulletin2017-08-23 · 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
- PIP3423P Service bulletin2018-08-09 · 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
- PIP4543D Service bulletin2015-07-20 · Electrical System — Software
- This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about a concern with diagnostic trouble codes P0011 P0014 P0016 or P0017 in the engine control module after a repair involving the camshaft actuators. There is a unique black plastic oil sleeve that is between the end of the cam actuator and the camshaft. This sleeve directs oil into the actuator to adjust the timing
- PIP6082 Service bulletin2025-08-22 · 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
What P0017 means
Source: SAE J2012 / OBD-IIP0017 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 Chevrolet 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 P0017 a known problem on Chevrolet vehicles?
It is a documented one: NHTSA's files hold 25 manufacturer filings and 9 owner reports naming P0017 on 13 Chevrolet model years (2016–2025). 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 Chevrolet models does P0017 appear on most?
2016 Equinox (8 documents), 2016 Colorado (5 documents), 2016 Impala (4 documents).
Does P0017 on a Chevrolet 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.