P0AFA
3 owner reports and 28 manufacturer filings across 11 model years from Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet.
Where P0AFA shows up
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications and complaints| Model year | Filed under | Bulletins | Owner reports |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 Buick LaCrosse | Electrical System | 4 | — |
| 2017 Chevrolet Malibu | Engine | 4 | — |
| 2016 Chevrolet Malibu | Engine | 4 | — |
| 2016 Buick LaCrosse | Engine | 3 | — |
| 2016 Cadillac ELR | Electrical System | 3 | — |
| 2017 Chevrolet Volt | Electrical System | — | 3 |
| 2018 Buick LaCrosse | Service Brakes, Air | 2 | — |
| 2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV | Electrical System | 2 | — |
| 2018 Chevrolet Bolt EV | Electrical System | 2 | — |
| 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV | Electrical System | 2 | — |
| 2018 Chevrolet Malibu | Service Brakes, Air | 2 | — |
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.
After reading the codes again in the afternoon, the following codes posted: P1E00, U2622, U2623, P1FD4, P0AFA
Manufacturer filings that name it
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communicationsService bulletins and campaigns whose filed summary names P0AFA. Quoting the document number at a service desk is often the fastest route to a diagnosis someone has already written down.
- 18NA2252020-09-23 · Engine And Engine Cooling
- This technical bulletin provides information to diagnose a MIL Illuminated with Loss of Propulsion and one or more of the following DTCs Set: P0ABC, P0AFA, P1AE6, P0D26, P0C78, P0ABB.
- 18NA2252019-08-08 · Electrical System
- This Bulletin provides information to diagnose a MIL Illuminated with Loss of Propulsion and one or more of the following DTCs P0ABC, P0AFA, P1AE6, P0D26, P0C78, P0ABB Set.
- PIC5523G2019-05-22 · Electrical System
- This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that may have a no crank with a "Waiting to Initialize" message displayed on the Driver Information Center. Technician may also find a Diagnostic Trouble Code P0AFA in the Hybrid Powertrain Control Module 2.
- PIC6229C2018-09-19 · Engine
- This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that have a crank but engine does not start concern. Technician will use this publication to reset the battery low state of charge concern after extended crank where the vehicle will no longer crank anymore and the cause of the no start concern is repaired. If Diagnostic Trouble Code P0AFA is the only
- PIC6229B2017-12-04 · Service Brakes, Air — Antilock
- This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that have a crank but engine does not start concern. Technician will use this publication to reset the battery low state of charge concern after extended crank where the vehicle will no longer crank anymore and the cause of the no start concern is repaired. If Diagnostic Trouble Code P0AFA is the only
- PIC6229A2017-03-02 · Electrical System
- This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that have a crank but engine does not start concern. Technician will use this publication to reset the battery low state of charge concern after extended crank where the vehicle will no longer crank anymore and the cause of the no start concern is repaired. If Diagnostic Trouble Code P0AFA is the only
What P0AFA means
Source: SAE J2012 / OBD-IIP0AFA 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 P0AFA
Source: NHTSA files and the OBD-II standardCan I keep driving with P0AFA 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.