P0446
2 owner reports and 210 manufacturer filings across 59 model years from BMW, Buick, Chevrolet, GMC and others.
Where P0446 shows up
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications and complaints| Model year | Filed under | Bulletins | Owner reports |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 Chevrolet Silverado | Engine And Engine Cooling | 5 | — |
| 2022 Chevrolet Silverado | Engine And Engine Cooling | 5 | — |
| 2021 Chevrolet Silverado | Engine And Engine Cooling | 5 | — |
| 2020 Chevrolet Silverado | Engine And Engine Cooling | 5 | — |
| 2024 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD | Engine And Engine Cooling | 5 | — |
| 2023 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD | Engine And Engine Cooling | 5 | — |
| 2022 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD | Engine And Engine Cooling | 5 | — |
| 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD | Engine And Engine Cooling | 5 | — |
| 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD | Engine And Engine Cooling | 5 | — |
| 2024 Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD | Engine And Engine Cooling | 5 | — |
| 2023 Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD | Engine And Engine Cooling | 5 | — |
| 2022 Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD | Engine And Engine Cooling | 5 | — |
| 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD | Engine And Engine Cooling | 5 | — |
| 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD | Engine And Engine Cooling | 5 | — |
| 2023 GMC Sierra | Engine And Engine Cooling | 5 | — |
| 2022 GMC Sierra | Engine And Engine Cooling | 5 | — |
| 2021 GMC Sierra | Engine And Engine Cooling | 5 | — |
| 2020 GMC Sierra | Engine And Engine Cooling | 5 | — |
| 2019 GMC Sierra | Engine And Engine Cooling | 5 | — |
| 2024 GMC Sierra 2500HD | Engine And Engine Cooling | 5 | — |
| 2023 GMC Sierra 2500HD | Engine And Engine Cooling | 5 | — |
| 2022 GMC Sierra 2500HD | Engine And Engine Cooling | 5 | — |
| 2021 GMC Sierra 2500HD | Engine And Engine Cooling | 5 | — |
| 2020 GMC Sierra 2500HD | Engine And Engine Cooling | 5 | — |
| 2024 GMC Sierra 3500HD | Engine And Engine Cooling | 5 | — |
| 2023 GMC Sierra 3500HD | Engine And Engine Cooling | 5 | — |
| 2022 GMC Sierra 3500HD | Engine And Engine Cooling | 5 | — |
| 2021 GMC Sierra 3500HD | Engine And Engine Cooling | 5 | — |
| 2020 GMC Sierra 3500HD | Engine And Engine Cooling | 5 | — |
| 2017 Buick Encore | Engine And Engine Cooling | 4 | — |
| 2016 Buick Encore | Engine And Engine Cooling | 4 | — |
| 2017 Chevrolet Sonic | Engine And Engine Cooling | 4 | — |
| 2016 Chevrolet Sonic | Engine And Engine Cooling | 4 | — |
| 2017 Chevrolet Trax | Engine And Engine Cooling | 4 | — |
| 2016 Chevrolet Trax | Engine And Engine Cooling | 4 | — |
| 2018 Chevrolet Cruze | Engine And Engine Cooling | 3 | — |
| 2017 Chevrolet Cruze | Engine And Engine Cooling | 3 | — |
| 2016 Chevrolet Cruze | Electrical System | 3 | — |
| 2024 Chevrolet Silverado | Engine | 3 | — |
| 2024 GMC Sierra | Engine | 3 | — |
| 2018 Buick LaCrosse | Engine And Engine Cooling | 2 | — |
| 2017 Buick LaCrosse | Engine And Engine Cooling | 2 | — |
| 2019 Chevrolet Cruze | Electrical System | 2 | — |
| 2025 Chevrolet Silverado | Engine | 2 | — |
| 2025 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD | Engine | 2 | — |
| 2025 Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD | Engine | 2 | — |
| 2025 GMC Sierra | Engine | 2 | — |
| 2025 GMC Sierra 2500HD | Engine | 2 | — |
| 2025 GMC Sierra 3500HD | Engine | 2 | — |
| 2021 BMW X3 | Fuel System, Gasoline | — | 1 |
| 2026 Chevrolet Colorado | Unknown Or Other | 1 | — |
| 2025 Chevrolet Colorado | Unknown Or Other | 1 | — |
| 2024 Chevrolet Colorado | Unknown Or Other | 1 | — |
| 2023 Chevrolet Colorado | Unknown Or Other | 1 | — |
| 2026 GMC Canyon | Unknown Or Other | 1 | — |
| 2025 GMC Canyon | Unknown Or Other | 1 | — |
| 2024 GMC Canyon | Unknown Or Other | 1 | — |
| 2023 GMC Canyon | Unknown Or Other | 1 | — |
| 2017 Mitsubishi Outlander | Power Train | — | 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 vehicle was taken to Auto Zone, where DTC: P0172 and P0446 were retrieved
They verified the problem and provided diagnostic codes indicating internal transmission failure (P0776, P0868, P0446)
Manufacturer filings that name it
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communicationsService bulletins and campaigns whose filed summary names P0446. Quoting the document number at a service desk is often the fastest route to a diagnosis someone has already written down.
- PIT65102026-04-25 · Unknown Or Other
- This PI describes the repairs to perform if P0446 set and water and/or ice is found on the fuel pump module.
- 23-NA-0732025-03-13 · Engine
- This technical bulletin provides repair information to correct a customer concern of Evaporative DTCs P0442, P0446, P0455 or P0449, Caused by Dust Intrusion into the Evaporative Canister.
- 23-NA-0732024-10-07 · Engine
- This technical bulletin provides repair information to correct a customer concern of Evaporative DTCs P0442, P0446, P0455 or P0449, Caused by Dust Intrusion into the Evaporative Canister.
- 23-NA-0732024-02-26 · Engine And Engine Cooling
- This technical bulletin provides repair information to correct a customer concern of Evaporative DTCs P0442, P0446, P0455 or P0449, Caused by Dust Intrusion into the Evaporative Canister.
- 23-NA-0732023-09-20 · Engine And Engine Cooling
- This technical bulletin provides repair information to correct a customer concern of Evaporative DTCs P0442, P0446, P0455 or P0449, Caused by Dust Intrusion into the Evaporative Canister.
- 23-NA-0732023-06-19 · Engine And Engine Cooling
- This technical bulletin provides repair information to correct a customer concern of Evaporative DTCs P0442, P0446, P0455 or P0449, Caused by Dust Intrusion into the Evaporative Canister.
What P0446 means
Source: SAE J2012 / OBD-IIA fault in the evaporative vent control circuit.
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 P0446
Source: NHTSA files and the OBD-II standardCan I keep driving with P0446 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.