P0016 Crankshaft/Camshaft Position Correlation (Bank 1 Sensor A)

Investigate soon

Two sensors that should agree with each other do not, so the ECU cannot tell which one to trust.

Can you drive it? The engine light will stay on and the car may run in a reduced-power mode. Read the freeze-frame data to see the conditions the fault was logged under.

The definition

P0016: Crankshaft/Camshaft Position Correlation (Bank 1 Sensor A).

P0016 is a powertrain code (the engine or gearbox), defined by the SAE standard - it means the same thing on any make of car, and any generic OBD-II reader will decode it.

What to check first

Cheapest and fastest checks first:

Check the oil level and when it was last changed. These adjusters run on oil pressure and are the first thing to suffer from old or low oil.
Check the cam adjuster solenoid and its screen for sludge.
Only then suspect the timing chain or belt and its tensioner.

What actually causes this on a VAG

The camshaft and crankshaft position signals do not agree. The ECU cannot tell which one to trust, so it logs the disagreement.

Most likely causes, in order

Timing chain stretch or a failed tensioner. On chain-driven VAG engines this is the serious possibility and should be ruled out first, especially with any start-up rattle.
The cam adjuster is stuck due to oil condition. Same hydraulic-adjuster story as P0011 - check oil level and service history early because it costs nothing.
A failing camshaft or crankshaft position sensor. Genuine but less common than the mechanical causes.

Worth knowing: Treat any start-up rattle on a chain-driven VAG engine as urgent. This code plus that noise is the combination that precedes a jumped chain.

Reading the code is the easy part

A code names the circuit that complained. What tells you why is watching the sensor behind it while the engine runs — and that is where a code reader stops and a diagnostic tool starts.

VAGPULSE reads every module in a VW, Audi, Skoda or SEAT — not just the engine — shows the live measuring blocks behind this fault, gives you the freeze-frame conditions it was logged under, and clears it once you have fixed it. It also does what a generic OBD reader cannot on a VAG: service resets, coding, adaptations, and Stage 1–3 flashing with your original file saved first.

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Common questions

What does P0016 mean?

P0016 means Crankshaft/Camshaft Position Correlation (Bank 1 Sensor A). Two sensors that should agree with each other do not, so the ECU cannot tell which one to trust.

Can I drive with P0016?

The engine light will stay on and the car may run in a reduced-power mode. Read the freeze-frame data to see the conditions the fault was logged under.