P0A3C
0 owner reports and 7 manufacturer filings across 5 model years from Ford, Kia.
Where P0A3C shows up
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications and complaints| Model year | Filed under | Bulletins | Owner reports | Parts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 Kia Niro | Engine | 2 | — | |
| 2018 Kia Niro | Engine | 2 | — | |
| 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning | Electrical System | 1 | — | Battery → |
| 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning | Electrical System | 1 | — | Battery → |
| 2025 Kia Sorento | Fuel/Propulsion System | 1 | — | Fuel pump → |
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.
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What it gets filed under
7 manufacturer filings name P0A3C. Start with what the maker wrote down.
A code names the test that failed, not the part. A bulletin that names it is often a diagnosis someone has already written down — quote its number at the service desk.
Manufacturer filings that name it
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communicationsService bulletins and campaigns whose filed summary names P0A3C.
- TSB_ELE364 Service bulletin2024-12-23 · Fuel/Propulsion System
- TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: MOTOR CONTROL UNIT (MCU) LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SA596) - This bulletin provides the procedure to update the Motor Control Unit (MCU) software on certain 2025MY Sorento HEV (MQ4 HEV) vehicles equipped with 19” wheels and produced from March 4, 2024 through November 9, 2024. The affected vehicles may exhibit traction motor noise, an inoperable A/C, and illumin
- SSM 51761 Service bulletin2023-07-03 · Electrical System — Software
- Some 2022-2023 F-150 Lightning vehicles may exhibit diagnostic trouble code P0A3C:94 stored in either the secondary on-board diagnostic control module B (SOBDMB) and/or secondary on-board diagnostic control module C (SOBDMC). This may be due to the software within either the SOBDMB and/or SOBDMC. Engineering is currently working on a solution that is expected in November 2023. Inform the customer
- TSBELE161_R1 Service bulletin2019-09-16 · Electrical System
- TSB: COMBINATION TSB / SERVICE ACTION: COOLANT LEAK â OBC INLET HOSE DETACHING (SA365) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information.This bulletin provides the procedure to install an onboard charger (OBC) quick disconnect spacer on some 2018-2019MY Niro (DE PHEV) vehicles, produced from March 21, 2018 through August 22, 2018, which may experience the OBC coolant inlet hose
- TSBELE161 Service bulletin2018-12-21 · Engine And Engine Cooling
- TSB -COMBINATION TSB / SERVICE ACTION: COOLANT LEAK ? OBC INLET HOSE DETACHING (SA365) - This bulletin provides the procedure to install an onboard charger (OBC) quick disconnect spacer on some 2018-2019MY Niro (DE PHEV) vehicles, produced from March 21, 2018 through August 22, 2018, which may experience the OBC coolant inlet hose detaching. If detached, the following Hybrid System/Refill Inverter
What P0A3C means
Source: SAE J2012 / OBD-IIP0A3C 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 P0A3C
Source: NHTSA files and the OBD-II standardCan I keep driving with P0A3C stored?
Nobody can answer that from the code alone, and a site that does is guessing. A steady light means a fault was logged and the car should be checked soon; a flashing light means a severe misfire — slow down and get it seen as soon as possible, because severe misfire can quickly damage the catalytic converter. 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.