P0131 Upstream bank 1 oxygen sensor reading stuck low
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 complaintsShowing the 25 model years where P0131 appears most; it is on file for 31 in total.
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.
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P0131 by make
The same record, one make at a time: the model years, bulletins and owner reports that name P0131 on that maker’s vehicles.
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
80 manufacturer filings name P0131. Start with what the maker wrote down.
A code names the test that failed, not the part. A bulletin that names it is often a diagnosis someone has already written down — quote its number at the service desk.
Manufacturer filings that name it
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communicationsService bulletins and campaigns whose filed summary names P0131.
- 23-019-25 REV. B Service bulletin2025-10-25 · 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): ● P0133 - O2 Sensor 1/1 Slow Response. ● P2251 - O2 Sensor 1/1 Negative Current Control Circuit/Open. ● P0131 - O2 Sensor 1/1 Circuit Low. ● P2
- 23-019-25 REV. A Service bulletin2025-04-26 · 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): ● P0133 - O2 Sensor 1/1 Slow Response. ● P2251 - O2 Sensor 1/1 Negative Current Control Circuit/Open. ● P0131 - O2 Sensor 1/1 Circuit Low. ● P2626 - O2 Sensor 1/1 Pump Cell Current Trim Circu
- 23-019-25 Service bulletin2025-04-22 · 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): ● P0133 - O2 Sensor 1/1 Slow Response. ● P2251 - O2 Sensor 1/1 Negative Current Control Circuit/Open. ● P0131 - O2 Sensor 1/1 Circuit Low. ● P2626 - O2 Sensor 1/1 Pump Cell Current Trim Circ
- PIP5529B Service bulletin2019-09-06 · 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 19-2091 Service bulletin2019-03-25 · 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 18-2321 Service bulletin2018-10-23 · Electrical System
- 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 means a fault was logged and the car should be checked soon; a flashing light means a severe misfire — slow down and get it seen as soon as possible, because severe misfire can quickly damage the catalytic converter. 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.