P0335–P0385 Crankshaft Position Sensor A Circuit
The control unit has found a fault in this part's electrical circuit, but the code does not say what kind (a broken wire, a short or a signal out of range). Check the connector and wiring before replacing the part.
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 |
|---|---|---|
P0335 | Crankshaft Position Sensor A Circuit | Investigate soon |
P0385 | Crankshaft Position Sensor B Circuit | Investigate soon |
The definition
P0335: Crankshaft Position Sensor A Circuit.
P0335 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
The crankshaft position sensor, G28 in VAG's own naming, tells the ECU exactly where the crankshaft is and how fast it is turning. It reads a toothed ring on the crank or flywheel through a small air gap. Without that signal the ECU cannot time the sparks or the injection at all, so the classic symptoms are an engine that turns over briskly but will not fire, or one that cuts out without warning and then restarts later. This code means no usable signal is arriving.
Most likely causes, in order
- The sensor itself breaking down with heat. A well-known failure on VAG engines. They often work perfectly when cold and stop once heat-soaked, which is why a car that dies after a period of driving and restarts once it has cooled fits this pattern exactly. Watching the engine speed reading on a scan tool while cranking is the quickest confirmation: cranking with no rpm displayed points at the crankshaft signal - the sensor or its wiring - rather than at fuel or spark.
- Oil or dirt in the connector, or chafed wiring. On several VAG engines the sensor sits low on the block, near the oil filter housing or the bellhousing, and oil from a service or a weeping seal can wick into the plug. Unplug it and look for oil, corrosion or a pushed-back pin, and follow the loom looking for rubbing where it passes the gearbox and exhaust.
- Damaged sensor ring or a badly fitted sensor. Most likely if the fault appeared just after clutch, flywheel, gearbox or timing work. A sensor not pushed fully home, the wrong sensor fitted, or teeth chipped on the reluctor ring all stop a clean signal reaching the ECU.
Worth knowing: Fit a good-quality original-equipment or reputable-brand sensor. Cheap no-name crankshaft sensors are widely reported as a cause of repeat no-start faults, and a second failure costs far more in time and towing than the sensor saved. One useful piece of context: on most VAG engines a failed camshaft sensor will still allow the engine to start, typically with a longer crank, whereas losing the crankshaft signal usually means it will not run at all - so a complete no-start alongside this code is consistent.
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 your engine ECU's fault codes and the live measuring blocks behind them, and clears the codes once you have fixed the fault. On the engine it also does what a generic OBD reader cannot on a VAG: coding, adaptations, and Stage 1–3 flashing on Bosch ME7 petrol ECUs, with a backup saved every time it reads your ECU.
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Common questions
What does P0335 mean?
P0335 means Crankshaft Position Sensor A Circuit. The control unit has found a fault in this part's electrical circuit, but the code does not say what kind (a broken wire, a short or a signal out of range). Check the connector and wiring before replacing the part.
Can I drive with P0335?
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.