P0333
1 owner report and 175 manufacturer filings across 101 model years from Audi, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet and others.
Where P0333 shows up
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications and complaintsShowing the 60 model years where P0333 appears most; it is on file for 101 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.
What it gets filed under
Manufacturer filings that name it
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communicationsService bulletins and campaigns whose filed summary names P0333. Quoting the document number at a service desk is often the fastest route to a diagnosis someone has already written down.
- TSB_2081342_12026-03-13 · Engine
- This bulletin provides information when there is a Drive System Malfunction, DTCs related to Knock Sensor P0327, P0332, P0328, P0333 - V6 TFS.
- 20-NA-2072022-03-03 · Electrical System
- This service bulletin informs the technician to inspect for a possible electrical concern at the ECM X2 electrical connector to correct a customer concern of Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) Illuminated - DTC P0333 Set.
- 20NA2072020-10-06 · Exterior Lighting
- This service bulletin informs the technician to inspect for a possible electrical concern at the ECM X2 electrical connector to correct a customer concern of Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) Illuminated - DTC P0333 Set.
- 07-133-182018-11-14 · Engine
- This Service Information Bulletin announces design changes to the engine?s knock sensor which will help improve vehicle assembly line efficiency and increase durability. In some cases, the Check Engine light may illuminate and a knock sensor-related DTC set in the ECM memory: P0327, P0328, P0332 and P0333. The knock sensor for DIT engines is now utilized for NA engines to improve durability and re
- PIP55762018-09-19 · Power Train — Manual Transmission
- This Preliminary information communicatesSES lamp, setting DTC P0333 when shifting the Transmissionfrom park. DTC P0333 cansetdue to voltage from the Transmission park/neutral signal 1circuit bleeding into the knock sensor system circuits. If SI does not isolate the concern inspect the K20 ECM connector X2 looking for debris, connectorand or terminal concerns.
- 07-133-182018-02-09 · Engine
- 2.0L Turbor Models only. This Service Information Bulletin announces design changes to the engine?s knock sensor which will help improve vehicle assembly line efficiency and increase durability. In some cases, the Check Engine light may illuminate and a knock sensor-related DTC set in the ECM memory: P0327, P0328, P0332 and P0333.
What P0333 means
Source: SAE J2012 / OBD-IIP0333 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 P0333
Source: NHTSA files and the OBD-II standardCan I keep driving with P0333 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.