P050A
6 owner reports and 15 manufacturer filings across 6 model years from Audi, Hyundai, Kia, Mitsubishi.
Where P050A shows up
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications and complaints| Model year | Filed under | Bulletins | Owner reports |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 Kia Soul | Power Train | 2 | 5 |
| 2026 Mitsubishi Outlander | Engine | 5 | — |
| 2025 Audi Q5 | Engine | 4 | — |
| 2025 Audi A5 | Engine | 2 | — |
| 2019 Hyundai Sonata | Engine And Engine Cooling | 2 | — |
| 2019 Hyundai Tucson | Engine And Engine Cooling | — | 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 then taken to Firestone, where diagnostic trouble codes P0420, P000A, and P050A were retrieved
Sometimes it will set off the MIL with the code P050A when this happens
Manufacturer filings that name it
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communicationsService bulletins and campaigns whose filed summary names P050A. Quoting the document number at a service desk is often the fastest route to a diagnosis someone has already written down.
- SC-26-001 Service campaign2026-07-07 · Engine
- This Service Campaign Bulletin sent to dealers provides instructions to reflash the ECU to address fault code P0128-00, and effective 6/26/2026, fault codes P2096-00 and P050A as well.
- TSB-26-13-0022026-06-25 · Fuel/Propulsion System
- This revised Technical Service Bulletin provides guidance when the check engine light is on with P050A stored in the Engine ECU.
- TSB-26-13-0022026-04-15 · Fuel/Propulsion System
- This Technical Service Bulletin provides guidance when the check engine light is on with P050A stored in the Engine ECU.
- TSB_2079927_22025-12-19 · Engine
- This bulletin provides a software update when the exhaust emissions warning lamplights up - DTC P050A; 2.0 ltr. 4-cyl. TFSI.
- TSB_2079927_12025-11-10 · Engine
- This bulletin provides a software update when the exhaust emissions warning lamplights up - DTC P050A; 2.0 ltr. 4-cyl. TFSI.
- TSB_FUE0532021-09-15 · Engine And Engine Cooling — Engine — Engine Control Module (Ecu/Ecm) — Software
- TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: 1.6L GDI WITH MIL ON DTC P050A ECM LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SA485) - This bulletin provides the procedure to update the software logic of the Engine Control Module (ECM) system on some 2014-2016MY Soul (PS) vehicles with Gamma 1.6L GDI engines, produced from August 29, 2013 through July 26, 2016, which may exhibit an MIL ON with DTC P050A (Cold Start Idle Air
What P050A means
Source: SAE J2012 / OBD-IIP050A 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 P050A
Source: NHTSA files and the OBD-II standardCan I keep driving with P050A 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.