P0131
3 owner reports and 80 manufacturer filings across 31 model years from Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Ford and others.
Where P0131 shows up
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications and complaintsA 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.
These are a few of the codes it reads, although some codes come and go, but these remain on: P12E7, P12EC, P12F4, P12F9, P0121, P0171, P0161, P0131, P069E, B097B, B1395, B1516, B1517, B260E, B260E, B2615, B2745, U0800, U1808, U0109, U007C
The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who retrieved DTC: P02, P0087, P0131, P0302, and P1450
Manufacturer filings that name it
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communicationsService bulletins and campaigns whose filed summary names P0131. Quoting the document number at a service desk is often the fastest route to a diagnosis someone has already written down.
- 23-019-25 REV. B2025-10-25 · Structure — Body
- Not applicable to vehicles built for US market. Multiple Systems Repair Bundle Campaign Customers must experience a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illumination and the vehicle must exhibit/set one or more of the following Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs): â—� P0133 - O2 Sensor 1/1 Slow Response. â—� P2251 - O2 Sensor 1/1 Negative Current Control Circuit/Open. â—� P0131 - O2 Sensor 1/1 Circuit Low
- 23-019-25 REV. A2025-04-26 · Structure — Body
- Multiple Systems Repair Bundle Campaign Customers must experience a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illumination and the vehicle must exhibit/set one or more of the following Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs): â—� P0133 - O2 Sensor 1/1 Slow Response. â—� P2251 - O2 Sensor 1/1 Negative Current Control Circuit/Open. â—� P0131 - O2 Sensor 1/1 Circuit Low. â—� P2626 - O2 Sensor 1/1 Pump Cell Current Tr
- 23-019-252025-04-22 · Unknown Or Other
- "Multiple Systems Repair Bundle Campaign Customers must experience a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illumination and the vehicle must exhibit/set one or more of the following Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs): â—� P0133 - O2 Sensor 1/1 Slow Response. â—� P2251 - O2 Sensor 1/1 Negative Current Control Circuit/Open. â—� P0131 - O2 Sensor 1/1 Circuit Low. â—� P2626 - O2 Sensor 1/1 Pump Cell Current T
- PIP5529B2019-09-06 · Electrical System
- This Preliminary information communicates additional diagnostics and repair to assist in resolving a malfunction indicator lamp illumination due to any combination of diagnostic trouble codes P0068 P0101 P0106 P0171 P0131 P0137 P0324 P0326 P0331 P0506.
- TSB 19-20912019-03-25 · Power Train
- Some 2015-2018 Transit vehicles built on or before 24-Jul-2018 may exhibit various drivability concerns including difficulty starting, misfires and/or an illuminated MIL with diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) P00BD, P1247, P1548, P061B, P2195, P2198, P2196, P2197, P0171, P0172, P0174, P0175, P0131 and/or P162F stored in the powertrain control module (PCM). This may be due to undesired water entry in
- TSB 18-23212018-10-23 · Engine
- Some 2015-2018 Transit vehicles built on or before 24-Jul-2018 may exhibit various drivability concerns including difficulty starting, misfires and/or an illuminated MIL with diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) P00BD, P1247, P1548, P061B, P2195, P2198, P2196, P2197, P0171, P0172, P0174, P0175, P0131 and/or P162F stored in the powertrain control module (PCM). This may be due to undesired water entry in
What P0131 means
Source: SAE J2012 / OBD-IIUpstream bank 1 oxygen sensor reading stuck low.
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 P0131
Source: NHTSA files and the OBD-II standardCan I keep driving with P0131 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.