P0196
5 owner reports and 77 manufacturer filings across 22 model years from Nissan, Volkswagen.
Where P0196 shows up
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications and complaints| Model year | Filed under | Bulletins | Owner reports |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 Volkswagen Golf / GTI | Visibility | 10 | — |
| 2018 Volkswagen Golf / GTI | Visibility | 8 | — |
| 2016 Volkswagen Golf / GTI | Visibility | 8 | — |
| 2023 Nissan Rogue | Engine | 1 | 4 |
| 2018 Volkswagen Beetle | Engine And Engine Cooling | 5 | — |
| 2017 Volkswagen Beetle | Visibility | 5 | — |
| 2016 Volkswagen Beetle | Power Train | 5 | — |
| 2018 Volkswagen Atlas | Equipment | 3 | — |
| 2018 Volkswagen Jetta | Visibility | 3 | — |
| 2017 Volkswagen Jetta | Visibility | 3 | — |
| 2016 Volkswagen Jetta | Engine And Engine Cooling | 3 | — |
| 2018 Volkswagen Passat | Power Train | 3 | — |
| 2017 Volkswagen Passat | Equipment | 3 | — |
| 2016 Volkswagen Passat | Power Train | 3 | — |
| 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan | Visibility | 3 | — |
| 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan | Visibility | 3 | — |
| 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan | Engine | 3 | — |
| 2022 Nissan Rogue | Engine | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 Nissan Rogue | Engine | 1 | — |
| 2024 Nissan Rogue | Electrical System | 1 | — |
| 2021 Nissan Rogue | Electrical System | 1 | — |
| 2017 Volkswagen Touareg | Engine And Engine Cooling | 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.
The dealership later diagnosed the vehicle with DTC P0196 – Engine Oil Temperature Sensor and recommended replacement of the Automatic Transmission Oil Cooler Control Valve
Manufacturer filings that name it
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communicationsService bulletins and campaigns whose filed summary names P0196. Quoting the document number at a service desk is often the fastest route to a diagnosis someone has already written down.
- NTB25-0072025-01-29 · Engine
- MIL ON WITH DTC P0196 STORED IN THE ECM IF YOU CONFIRM The MIL is ON with DTC P0196 for “EOT SENSOR� stored in the ECM. HINT: DTC P0012 for “INTAKE VALVE TIMING CONTROL B1� may be stored along with P0196 for “EOT SENSOR�. ACTION Follow the SERVICE PROCEDURE in this bulletin to diagnose DTC P0196 for “EOT SENSOR�.  Disregard P0012 if stored along with P0196.  Do not follow the
- VIN-4-A-PIN-20182018-09-25 · Engine And Engine Cooling
- Coolant leak at the coolant pump, Yellow oil warning light on with any of the following faults P0196 P0198 B104129 B104135, Customer states the sunroof is making noise, squeak & rattle, MIL-on with P0300-P0304 in the ECM AFTER software level 0003, Damaged strut boots at PDI, Customer states sunshade is binding, Wind noise from front door, Customer says rear speaker is distorted, Customer states re
- VIN-4-A-PIN-20182018-09-06 · Structure — Body — Door
- Coolant leak at the coolant pump, Yellow oil warning light on with any of the following faults P0196 P0198 B104129 B104135, Customer states the sunroof is making noise, squeak & rattle, MIL-on with P0300-P0304 in the ECM AFTER software level 0003, Damaged strut boots at PDI, Customer states sunshade is binding, Wind noise from front door, Customer says rear speaker is distorted, Customer states re
- VIN 4 A PIN-20182018-08-07 · Equipment
- Water leaks from the sunroof/overhead light console area, sunshade is to blinding, MIL-on P0441 in the ECM, coolant leak at the coolant pump, Yellow oil warning light on with any of the following faults P0196 P0198 B104129 B104135, Side mirror glass cracked, cluctch pedal makes noise during operation, damed strut boots, remote key inopperative, car speaker is distorted.
What P0196 means
Source: SAE J2012 / OBD-IIP0196 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 P0196
Source: NHTSA files and the OBD-II standardCan I keep driving with P0196 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.