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Diagnostic trouble code

P0442

8 owner reports and 2,962 manufacturer filings across 497 model years from Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Ford and others.

PowertrainGeneric OBD-II code2,962 manufacturer filings8 owner reports

Where P0442 shows up

Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications and complaints
Model yearFiled underBulletinsOwner reports
2022 Volkswagen AtlasEngine And Engine Cooling158
2023 Volkswagen AtlasUnknown Or Other134
2022 Volkswagen TiguanUnknown Or Other92
2024 Volkswagen AtlasUnknown Or Other90
2023 Volkswagen TiguanUnknown Or Other78
2022 Volkswagen TaosUnknown Or Other77
2022 Volkswagen JettaEquipment73
2021 Volkswagen AtlasEquipment69
2023 Volkswagen TaosEngine And Engine Cooling57
2023 Volkswagen JettaElectrical System55
2020 Volkswagen AtlasEquipment54
2023 Volkswagen ID.4Unknown Or Other54
2019 Volkswagen Golf / GTIEquipment51
2025 Volkswagen AtlasUnknown Or Other44
2019 Volkswagen JettaEquipment43
2024 Volkswagen TiguanUnknown Or Other37
2021 Volkswagen TiguanEngine And Engine Cooling31
2024 Volkswagen ID.4Unknown Or Other30
2022 Volkswagen Golf / GTIEquipment28
2019 Volkswagen TiguanEquipment28
2021 Volkswagen ID.4Unknown Or Other24
2025 Volkswagen Golf / GTIUnknown Or Other22
2024 Volkswagen Golf / GTIUnknown Or Other22
2018 Volkswagen Golf / GTIEquipment21
2026 Volkswagen AtlasUnknown Or Other18
2024 Volkswagen JettaUnknown Or Other18
2024 Volkswagen TaosUnknown Or Other18
2022 Volkswagen ID.4Unknown Or Other15
2021 Chevrolet SilveradoEngine And Engine Cooling13
2019 Chevrolet SilveradoEngine And Engine Cooling13
2020 Chevrolet SilveradoEngine And Engine Cooling12
2022 Volkswagen ArteonEquipment12
2022 Volkswagen PassatElectrical System12
2019 GMC SierraEngine And Engine Cooling11
2020 Volkswagen Golf / GTIEngine And Engine Cooling11
2016 Nissan NVFuel System, Gasoline10
2019 Volkswagen AtlasEquipment10
2025 Volkswagen ID.4Unknown Or Other10
2020 Volkswagen JettaEquipment10
2023 Chevrolet SilveradoEngine And Engine Cooling9
2020 GMC SierraEngine And Engine Cooling9
2016 GMC YukonFuel System, Gasoline9
2024 Volkswagen ArteonSeat Belts9
2018 Volkswagen AtlasEquipment9
2020 Volkswagen PassatEngine And Engine Cooling9
2020 Volkswagen TiguanEngine And Engine Cooling9
2022 Chevrolet SilveradoEngine And Engine Cooling8
2021 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HDEngine And Engine Cooling8
2020 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HDEngine And Engine Cooling8
2021 GMC SierraEngine And Engine Cooling8
2021 GMC Sierra 2500HDEngine And Engine Cooling8
2020 GMC Sierra 2500HDEngine And Engine Cooling8
2017 Nissan NVFuel System, Gasoline8
2025 Volkswagen JettaUnknown Or Other8
2025 Volkswagen TaosUnknown Or Other8
2021 Buick EncoreEngine And Engine Cooling7
2016 Chevrolet SparkFuel System, Gasoline7
2016 Chevrolet VoltEngine And Engine Cooling7
2016 GMC SavanaEngine And Engine Cooling7
2019 GMC YukonEngine And Engine Cooling7

Showing the 60 model years where P0442 appears most; it is on file for 497 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

Engine And Engine Cooling 785Unknown Or Other 447Fuel System, Gasoline 337Electrical System 313Equipment 290Fuel System, Other 100
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What owners said

Source: NHTSA complaint database

Owners’ 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.

A diagnostic test showed it was code P0442 related to the canister purge valve /solenoid
2019 Buick EnclaveSep 8, 2024NHTSA owner report
Few days after they did the free recall fix I got the below error code 'P0442, Evaporative Emission system leak' that the dealership claims is not related to the recall fix that they did and wants to charge me $250 just to evaluate the…
2016 Land Rover LR4Jul 26, 2023NHTSA owner report
Car has less that 1000 miles and the check engine light has been on 3 times with a P0442
2019 GMC Terrainat 400 milesApr 25, 2019NHTSA owner report

Manufacturer filings that name it

Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications

Service bulletins and campaigns whose filed summary names P0442. Quoting the document number at a service desk is often the fastest route to a diagnosis someone has already written down.

What P0442 means

Source: SAE J2012 / OBD-II

A small leak in the evaporative emissions system.

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 P0442

Source: NHTSA files and the OBD-II standard

Can I keep driving with P0442 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.