P003A
1 owner report and 27 manufacturer filings across 12 model years from Chevrolet, Ford, GMC, Ram.
Where P003A shows up
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications and complaints| Model year | Filed under | Bulletins | Owner reports |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 Ford F-250 Super Duty | Engine And Engine Cooling | 3 | — |
| 2021 Ford F-250 Super Duty | Engine And Engine Cooling | 3 | — |
| 2020 Ford F-250 Super Duty | Engine And Engine Cooling | 3 | — |
| 2022 Ford F-350 Super Duty | Engine And Engine Cooling | 3 | — |
| 2021 Ford F-350 Super Duty | Engine And Engine Cooling | 3 | — |
| 2022 Ford F-450 Super Duty | Equipment | 3 | — |
| 2021 Ford F-450 Super Duty | Equipment | 3 | — |
| 2020 Ford F-450 Super Duty | Engine And Engine Cooling | 3 | — |
| 2016 Chevrolet Express | Fuel System, Diesel | 1 | — |
| 2016 Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD | Engine And Engine Cooling | 1 | — |
| 2016 GMC Sierra 3500HD | Fuel System, Diesel | 1 | — |
| 2019 Ram 2500 | Engine | — | 1 |
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
What owners said
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners’ 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.
I have experienced unexpected loss of power during acceleration, lack of exhaust breaking and engine codes p003a and p006f which I believe are associated with the turbo actuator
Manufacturer filings that name it
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communicationsService bulletins and campaigns whose filed summary names P003A. Quoting the document number at a service desk is often the fastest route to a diagnosis someone has already written down.
- SSM 533282025-01-24 · Unknown Or Other
- Some 2020-2022 F-Super Duty vehicles equipped with a 6.7L engine may exhibit an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (MIL), lack of power, and/or excessive turbo noise during operation, with diagnostic trouble codes (DTC) P003A, P0045, P0046, P0047, P0048, P0234, P0237, P0238, P0299, P132A, P226C, P2263, P2564, P2565, P2598, P259E, and/or P259F stored in the powertrain control module.
- SSM 511502022-10-25 · Engine And Engine Cooling
- Some 2020-2022 F-Super Duty vehicles equipped with a 6.7L engine may exhibit an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (MIL), lack of power, and/or excessive turbo noise during operation, with diagnostic trouble codes (DTC) P003A, P0045, P0046, P0047, P0048, P0234, P0237, P0238, P132A, P2564, P2565, P2598, P259E, and/or P259F stored in the powertrain control module. If Workshop Manual (WSM) diagno
- SSM 505642022-03-07 · Engine And Engine Cooling
- Some 2020-2022 F-Super Duty vehicles equipped with a 6.7L engine may exhibit an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (MIL), lack of power, and/or excessive turbo noise during operation, with diagnostic trouble codes (DTC) P003A, P0045, P0046, P0047, P0048, P0234, P0237, P0238, P132A, P2564, P2565, P2598, P259E, and/or P259F stored in the powertrain control module. If Workshop Manual (WSM) diagno
- 06-06-01-007I2015-10-02 · Fuel System, Diesel
- This informational bulletin provides information to dealership personnel on identifying Duramax Diesel overpower engine breakdown or non-function due to aftermarket power-up devices vs. non overpower engine non-function of pistons, cylinders, valve train components, and DTC P003A or P111D set.
What P003A means
Source: SAE J2012 / OBD-IIP003A 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. 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 P003A
Source: NHTSA files and the OBD-II standardCan I keep driving with P003A 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.