P0202: Cylinder 2 Injector A Circuit
A generic powertrain (engine and transmission) trouble code, same meaning on every brand.
Short trips only.
Symptoms
- Dead cylinder 2
- Rough running
- Fuel smell from unburned mixture
Likely causes, most common first
- Injector 2 circuit open or shorted
- Chafed harness
- Connector fault
- Computer driver failure
Read P0202 yourself before paying for diagnosis
A basic Bluetooth OBD-II scanner ($20-40) plugs into the port under the dashboard and shows this code with live sensor data on your phone - useful both for confirming the fix and for talking to a shop from an informed position.
What is going on and how it gets diagnosed
P0202 is injector 2's circuit. The swap test works as well for injectors as for coils, with the same logic: exchange injector 2's connector with a neighbor (where harness length allows) or swap the injectors themselves, clear the code, and see which cylinder complains next.
One caution specific to injector circuits: a winding shorted internally can overheat the computer's driver transistor. If a replacement injector on a repaired circuit still will not fire, the driver inside the engine computer may have been the casualty of the original short - a possibility to test for before buying a third injector.
Repair options and cost
Typical US independent-shop ranges, parts and labor. Dealers run higher; regional labor rates vary.
Cars that report P0202 most often
Based on mentions of this code in NHTSA owner complaints.
Frequently asked questions
Can I drive with P0202?
Short trips only.
How much does it cost to fix P0202?
Typical US repair costs range from $60 for the simplest fix (connector repair) to $600 in the worst case. The right number depends on which cause your car has - see the causes list.
Related codes
The codes closest to P0202. They often appear together, and telling them apart is usually what narrows the diagnosis.
Definition per SAE J2012 standard nomenclature. Symptoms, causes and costs are editorial guidance - always confirm with a diagnosis of your specific vehicle.