P007E–P00A4 Charge Air Cooler Temperature Sensor Circuit Intermittent/Erratic Bank 1
The fault comes and goes, which points at a connection that only breaks under vibration, heat or load.
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.
Which code is which
Same fault, different cylinder or bank — diagnosed the same way. Several set together usually means one shared cause.
| Code | Definition | Severity |
|---|---|---|
P007E | Charge Air Cooler Temperature Sensor Circuit Intermittent/Erratic Bank 1 | Investigate soon |
P00A4 | Charge Air Cooler Temperature Sensor Circuit Intermittent/Erratic Bank 2 | Investigate soon |
The definition
P007E: Charge Air Cooler Temperature Sensor Circuit Intermittent/Erratic Bank 1.
P007E 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:
- Read the freeze-frame data stored with the fault - engine speed, load and temperature at the moment it logged tell you whether this happens cold, hot or under load.
- Check the connector at the part for corrosion, and that it is fully seated.
- Clear the code and see whether it returns, and under what conditions.
What actually causes this on a VAG
After the turbo compresses the intake air, the intercooler cools it again, and a sensor after the cooler tells the engine management how hot the charge air actually is. The 'intermittent or erratic' wording is the important part: the reading is jumping about rather than being simply dead or shorted, so the control unit is seeing values that change faster than any real temperature could. That pattern points at a connection far more often than at the sensor element. The car will usually still drive - the engine may pull a little timing or boost while the reading is misbehaving, so it can feel flat, or you may notice nothing at all.
Most likely causes, in order
- Loose or corroded connector at the sensor. A spread terminal, or a plug that was never fully clicked home, makes the signal flicker as the engine moves and vibrates. Unplug it, check the pins are tight and dry, reseat it properly with its lock engaged, and clear the code before doing anything else.
- Chafed or internally broken wiring. The sensor's short loom often runs across the top of a hot engine, where heat cycling and vibration break strands inside insulation that still looks perfect. Watch the live temperature reading on a scan tool while gently flexing the loom; a reading that jumps as you move it has found your fault.
- Water or oil contamination in the plug. The charge pipework runs through the front of the car where road spray gets in, and on VAG turbo petrols oil mist from the crankcase breather coats the inside of the pipes. Contamination sitting across the connector terminals shifts the reading unpredictably. Pull the sensor and look at the plug and the tip: a wet, sooty tip mostly makes a sensor lazy rather than erratic, so on its own it explains a plausibility complaint better than this one, but it does tell you the breather system is worth a look.
- The sensor itself has failed. Genuinely possible, but replace it last, after the plug and wiring have been proved good, or you risk fitting a new part into the same bad connection.
Worth knowing: There is a free test that tells you whether any temperature sensor is honest. Leave the car standing overnight, then switch the ignition on without starting the engine and compare every air and coolant temperature the scan tool shows. On a stone-cold car they should all read within a degree or two of the outside air temperature; whichever one is out on its own is your suspect. That takes two minutes and identifies a faulty sensor before you buy anything. One caveat: an intermittent fault can easily pass that test on the day, so if all the readings agree, that is not a clean bill of health for the sensor - go back to the plug and the loom.
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.
$249 once. No subscription, unlimited cars. Windows 10/11.
See VAGPULSE — $249 Look up another codeSoftware downloads instantly · cable ships September 30 · cable guarantee — refund if it won't connect
Prefer to work on your phone? The VAGPULSE Android app is a free download and its demo mode runs against a sample car with no hardware at all, so you can see exactly what it reads before spending anything. Reading your car with it needs the VAGPULSE cable, which comes with the licence.
Common questions
What does P007E mean?
P007E means Charge Air Cooler Temperature Sensor Circuit Intermittent/Erratic Bank 1. The fault comes and goes, which points at a connection that only breaks under vibration, heat or load.
Can I drive with P007E?
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.