P0351–P0358 Ignition Coil A Primary Control Circuit/Open
The circuit is broken somewhere - a cut wire, a corroded pin or an unplugged connector means the signal never arrives.
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 |
|---|---|---|
P0351 | Ignition Coil A Primary Control Circuit/Open | Investigate soon |
P0352 | Ignition Coil B Primary Control Circuit/Open | Investigate soon |
P0353 | Ignition Coil C Primary Control Circuit/Open | Investigate soon |
P0354 | Ignition Coil D Primary Control Circuit/Open | Investigate soon |
P0355 | Ignition Coil E Primary Control Circuit/Open | Investigate soon |
P0356 | Ignition Coil F Primary Control Circuit/Open | Investigate soon |
P0357 | Ignition Coil G Primary Control Circuit/Open | Investigate soon |
P0358 | Ignition Coil H Primary Control Circuit/Open | Investigate soon |
The definition
P0351: Ignition Coil A Primary Control Circuit/Open.
P0351 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 connector is fully seated and the locking tab is engaged. A half-seated plug is the single most common cause of an open circuit.
- Back-probe the pins and check continuity from the part back to the module connector.
- Inspect for a pushed-back or corroded terminal - the wire looks fine but the pin has backed out of the housing.
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 P0351 mean?
P0351 means Ignition Coil A Primary Control Circuit/Open. The circuit is broken somewhere - a cut wire, a corroded pin or an unplugged connector means the signal never arrives.
Can I drive with P0351?
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.