P0303 Cylinder 3 is misfiring
253 owner reports and 695 manufacturer filings across 272 model years from Acura, Alfa Romeo, Audi, Chevrolet and others.
Where P0303 shows up
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications and complaintsShowing the 25 model years where P0303 appears most; it is on file for 272 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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P0303 by make
The same record, one make at a time: the model years, bulletins and owner reports that name P0303 on that maker’s vehicles.
What it gets filed under
When owners report it
miles, typically
Half of the 36 owner reports naming P0303 that carry an odometer reading fall between 56,000 and 102,000 miles. A code that shows up at 30,000 miles is a different proposition from one that shows up at 130,000, and that difference is the single most useful thing in this record.
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.
Diagnostic codes included P0217, P0301, P0303, P0316, P1285, and P1299, indicating overheating and engine misfires
My vehicle experienced significant engine problems, including overheating, diagnostic trouble codes P0014 (exhaust camshaft timing/VVT system performance) and P0303 (cylinder 3 misfire)
there was a code p0303 saying misfire so I got all the spark plugs replaced and when i was driving home from work the car locked up and said overheating and had to coast off the highway
The diagnostic trouble codes found on the vehicle are: P0300 – Random/Multiple Cylinder Misfire P0302 – Cylinder #2 Misfire P0303 – Cylinder #3 Misfire P219A – Air-Fuel Ratio Variation P0420 – Catalyst System Efficiency Below Threshold I…
In November of 2025, the car began throwing a P0304 code again and this time also had a P0303 code and P0335
695 manufacturer filings name P0303. 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 P0303.
- SSM 54948 Service bulletin2026-06-18 · Fuel/Propulsion System
- Some 2025-2026 Explorer/Aviator/Police Interceptor Utility non-hybrid vehicles built on 06-Feb-2025 and through 13-Dec-2025 may exhibit various drivability symptoms including a rough idle or hesitation shortly after refueling. These symptoms may also be accompanied by liquid fuel in the fuel vapor lines and fuel vapor canister as well as an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) with diagnos
- 18-035-26 REV. A Service bulletin2026-06-13 · Engine
- Flash: Powertrain Control Module (PCM) Updates Customers may experience a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illumination. Upon further investigation the technician must find one or more of the following Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs) have been set: ● P0300 - Multiple Cylinder Misfire. ● P0301 - Cylinder 1 Misfire. ● P0302 - Cylinder 2 Misfire. ● P0303 - Cylinder 3 Misfire. ● P0304 - Cylinder 4 Mis
- 18-008-26 REV. B Service bulletin2026-06-10 · Engine
- Flash: Powertrain Control Module (PCM) Updates 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): ● **P0300 - Multiple Cylinder Misfire (Active or Stored status set during cold start catalyst heating). ● P0301 - Cylinder 1 Misfire (Active or Stored status set during cold start cata
- TSB 26-2210 Service bulletin2026-05-28 · Power Train
- Some of the vehicles listed in the Model statement above may exhibit all of the following conditions: * Engine misfire condition * Illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) with diagnostic trouble codes (DTC) P0301, P0302, P0303, and/or P0304 stored in the powertrain control module (PCM)
- 18-051-26 Service bulletin2026-04-18 · Engine
- Flash: Powertrain Control Module (PCM) Updates **Customers must experience a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illumination and the vehicle must SYMPTOM: exhibit/set one or more of the following Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs):** ● **P0300 - Multiple Cylinder Misfire - In Active or Stored status set during cold start catalyst heating. ● P0301 - Cylinder 1 Misfire - In Active or Stored status set du
- 18-049-26 Service bulletin2026-04-18 · Engine
- Flash: Powertrain Control Module (PCM) Updates Customers must experience a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illumination and the vehicle must SYMPTOM: exhibit/set one or more of the following Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs): ● **P0300 - Multiple Cylinder Misfire - In Active or Stored status set during cold start catalyst heating. ● P0301 - Cylinder 1 Misfire - In Active or Stored status set during
What P0303 means
Source: SAE J2012 / OBD-IICylinder 3 is misfiring.
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 P0303
Source: NHTSA files and the OBD-II standardCan I keep driving with P0303 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.