P0348–P0393 Camshaft Position Sensor A Circuit High Bank 2
The voltage on this circuit is sitting near battery voltage. Typically a short to a positive feed, or a disconnected sensor floating high.
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 |
|---|---|---|
P0348 | Camshaft Position Sensor A Circuit High Bank 2 | Investigate soon |
P0368 | Camshaft Position Sensor B Circuit High Bank 1 | Investigate soon |
P0393 | Camshaft Position Sensor B Circuit High Bank 2 | Investigate soon |
The definition
P0348: Camshaft Position Sensor A Circuit High Bank 2.
P0348 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:
- Unplug the sensor and check whether the signal falls. If it stays high, suspect the wiring rather than the sensor.
- Check the earth path - a missing earth makes a sensor read high.
What actually causes this on a VAG
Same sensor and same location as its sibling code, but the electrical complaint is the opposite: the signal line is stuck high, which normally means an open circuit - the ECU cannot see the sensor pulling the line down at all. Bank 2 is the bank without cylinder 1, so this is a V6, V8 or W engine code only. Typical symptoms are longer cranking before it fires, a rougher start, or a warning light with otherwise normal running once it is going.
Most likely causes, in order
- Broken wire or disconnected plug. An open circuit is the textbook cause of a signal stuck high. Check the plug is fully seated with its clip intact, and follow the lead looking for a break, a pulled-out terminal or damage from previous work - bank 2 sensors are often disturbed to get at something else and not properly reconnected.
- Missing earth for the sensor. If the sensor's earth is corroded or broken, the signal line can sit high even though the sensor itself is perfectly good. Well worth checking before buying anything, especially on an older car that has lived through a few winters.
- The sensor has failed internally. A Hall sensor that has gone open circuit produces no output at all. Heat and oil contamination are the usual causes on these engines. If the wiring and earth check out, this is the part to change.
- Harness damage back to the ECU. Less common, but a break further up the loom or a corroded multiplug at the bulkhead behaves identically. Worth pursuing only once the sensor and its immediate wiring have been ruled out.
Worth knowing: If bank 1's camshaft sensor has logged a matching fault at the same time, do not buy two sensors. Two identical sensors failing at the same moment is rare; a shared supply, earth or connector feeding both is far more likely, and fixing that one point clears both codes. Many of these engines will still start on the crankshaft signal alone, sometimes after longer cranking, so a car that starts reluctantly but then runs normally fits this fault well.
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 P0348 mean?
P0348 means Camshaft Position Sensor A Circuit High Bank 2. The voltage on this circuit is sitting near battery voltage. Typically a short to a positive feed, or a disconnected sensor floating high.
Can I drive with P0348?
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.