P0506
6 owner reports and 383 manufacturer filings across 77 model years from Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler and others.
Where P0506 shows up
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications and complaintsShowing the 60 model years where P0506 appears most; it is on file for 77 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
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 scan showed engine-related codes including P219A, P0506, P0303, and P0017, and transmission-related codes including P0746 and P187E
The engine began running excessively rich (Code P2178), causing the engine idle to drop dangerously low (Code P0506)
Upon turning vehicle off and using a code reader codes P0106 and P0506 was on scanner
Once they conducted their diagnostic they found that the Engine needed to be replaced showing code P0326, P0014, P052A, P0506, P0300, P0301, P0303
Manufacturer filings that name it
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communicationsService bulletins and campaigns whose filed summary names P0506. Quoting the document number at a service desk is often the fastest route to a diagnosis someone has already written down.
- 22-NA-2242022-11-04 · Engine And Engine Cooling
- This service bulletin provides a repair procedure to correct a customer concern of Reduced Engine Power, Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) Illuminated - DTCs P0101, P0172, P0299, P0506, and/or P1101 Set.
- 1810222REVA2022-08-10 · Power Train — Automatic Transmission — Control Module (Tcm/Pcm/Tecm)
- Flash: Powertrain Control Module (PCM) Updates This bulletin involves reprogramming the Engine Control Module/Powertrain ControlModule (ECM/PCM) with the latest available software. Customers may experience a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illumination. Upon further investigation the technician may find that one or moreof the following (DTCs) have been set: P0506 - Idle Control System RPM Lower
- 1810122REVA2022-08-10 · Engine And Engine Cooling
- Flash: Powertrain Control Module (PCM) Updates This bulletin involves reprogramming the Engine Control Module (ECM) / PowertrainControl Module (PCM) with the latest available software. Customers may experience a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illumination. Upon further investigation the technician may find that one or moreof the following DTCs have been set: P0506 - Idle Control System RPM - L
- 1810222REVA2022-08-10 · Power Train — Automatic Transmission — Control Module (Tcm/Pcm/Tecm)
- Flash: Powertrain Control Module (PCM) Updates This bulletin involves reprogramming the Engine Control Module/Powertrain ControlModule (ECM/PCM) with the latest available software. Customers may experience a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illumination. Upon further investigation the technician may find that one or moreof the following (DTCs) have been set: P0506 - Idle Control System RPM Lower
- 1810122REVA2022-08-10 · Electrical System
- Flash: Powertrain Control Module (PCM) Updates This bulletin involves reprogramming the Engine Control Module (ECM) / PowertrainControl Module (PCM) with the latest available software. Customers may experience a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illumination. Upon further investigation the technician may find that one or moreof the following DTCs have been set: P0506 - Idle Control System RPM - L
- 1810222REVA2022-08-10 · Fuel System, Diesel
- Flash: Powertrain Control Module (PCM) Updates This bulletin involves reprogramming the Engine Control Module/Powertrain ControlModule (ECM/PCM) with the latest available software. Customers may experience a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illumination. Upon further investigation the technician may find that one or moreof the following (DTCs) have been set: P0506 - Idle Control System RPM Lower
What P0506 means
Source: SAE J2012 / OBD-IIP0506 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 P0506
Source: NHTSA files and the OBD-II standardCan I keep driving with P0506 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.