P0244–P0248 Turbocharger/Supercharger Wastegate Actuator A Range/Performance
The sensor still works, but its reading has drifted outside the window the ECU expects. That usually means a tired sensor or a problem with what it is measuring, not a broken wire.
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 |
|---|---|---|
P0244 | Turbocharger/Supercharger Wastegate Actuator A Range/Performance | Investigate soon |
P0248 | Turbocharger/Supercharger Wastegate Actuator B Range/Performance | Investigate soon |
The definition
P0244: Turbocharger/Supercharger Wastegate Actuator A Range/Performance.
P0244 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
Boost is limited by a wastegate: a flap that lets exhaust gas bypass the turbine wheel. This is a range/performance complaint about the wastegate actuator - the ECU asked for a particular wastegate position or boost response and what it measured back did not match. On older VAG turbos the wastegate is moved by a vacuum or pressure can that the N75 boost pressure control valve meters. On many newer petrol engines it is an electric actuator with a position sensor built into it, bolted to the turbo, which reports its actual position back to the ECU. Flat power or an abrupt boost cut often shows up alongside or just before the warning light.
Most likely causes, in order
- Wastegate flap or linkage sticking with carbon. Exhaust deposits and constant heat cycling make the flap and its arm stiff, so the actuator physically cannot reach the position it was told to. On a vacuum or pressure can setup the rod can be unhooked and the flap moved by hand - it should travel its full range with no notchiness. On an electric actuator do not lever the linkage: the rod length is set at the factory and the actuator is geared to a motor, so checking or freeing the flap means removing the actuator, which is workshop work. A scan tool can also sweep the actuator and show whether the actual position follows the commanded one.
- Leak in the vacuum or pressure lines to the actuator. On the older can-operated setups a perished or split hose, a cracked actuator diaphragm or a leaking one-way valve all mean the actuator never gets the signal it needs. A hand pump on the actuator - vacuum on a vacuum-pulled wastegate, pressure on a pressure-pushed one - should move the arm and then hold it steady; if it bleeds off you have found it. These are the cheapest parts in the system, so check them before anything else.
- Boost pressure control valve (N75) sticking. The solenoid that meters vacuum or pressure to the actuator can gum up or fail mechanically without setting an electrical code of its own. It is far cheaper than a turbo or an electric actuator, so test or substitute it before condemning anything bigger.
- Worn or failed electric wastegate actuator. The small motor and the position sensor inside do wear out, particularly on engines where the flap has gone stiff. Confirmed by driving the actuator through an output test or basic setting and seeing no movement, or movement that never reaches the ends of travel. Whether the actuator can be bought on its own or only as part of the turbo varies by application, so check before ordering.
Worth knowing: On an electric wastegate, free the flap off before fitting a new actuator. A stiff wastegate is widely blamed for killing them, so a replacement bolted onto a seized flap is likely to fail again. Replacement electric actuators normally have to be adapted with a scan tool afterwards so the ECU relearns the end stops; skip that and the code can come straight back even though the part is good.
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 P0244 mean?
P0244 means Turbocharger/Supercharger Wastegate Actuator A Range/Performance. The sensor still works, but its reading has drifted outside the window the ECU expects. That usually means a tired sensor or a problem with what it is measuring, not a broken wire.
Can I drive with P0244?
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.