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Diagnostic trouble code

P0216

0 owner reports and 117 manufacturer filings across 14 model years from Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC.

PowertrainGeneric OBD-II code117 manufacturer filings

Where P0216 shows up

Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications and complaints
Model yearFiled underBulletinsOwner reports
2021 Cadillac EscaladeElectrical System17—
2021 Chevrolet SuburbanElectrical System12—
2021 GMC YukonEngine And Engine Cooling12—
2022 Cadillac EscaladeEngine And Engine Cooling10—
2022 Chevrolet SuburbanElectrical System10—
2022 GMC YukonElectrical System10—
2021 Chevrolet SilveradoElectrical System7—
2021 Chevrolet TahoeElectrical System7—
2021 GMC SierraElectrical System7—
2022 Chevrolet SilveradoElectrical System5—
2020 Chevrolet SilveradoEngine5—
2022 Chevrolet TahoeEngine And Engine Cooling5—
2022 GMC SierraEngine And Engine Cooling5—
2020 GMC SierraElectrical System5—

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

Electrical System 47Engine And Engine Cooling 36Engine 14Fuel System, Gasoline 7
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Manufacturer filings that name it

Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications

Service bulletins and campaigns whose filed summary names P0216. Quoting the document number at a service desk is often the fastest route to a diagnosis someone has already written down.

What P0216 means

Source: SAE J2012 / OBD-II

P0216 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 P0216

Source: NHTSA files and the OBD-II standard

Can I keep driving with P0216 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.