P0474–P047E Exhaust Pressure Sensor A Circuit Intermittent/Erratic
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 |
|---|---|---|
P0474 | Exhaust Pressure Sensor A Circuit Intermittent/Erratic | Investigate soon |
P047E | Exhaust Pressure Sensor B Circuit Intermittent/Erratic | Investigate soon |
The definition
P0474: Exhaust Pressure Sensor A Circuit Intermittent/Erratic.
P0474 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
Here the exhaust pressure sensor reads sensibly most of the time and then jumps or drops out briefly. That pattern points at a connection that is moving - vibration, heat expansion, damp - rather than at a component that has simply died. You may see the warning light come and go, the occasional regeneration abandoned part way through, and a fault that is logged as sporadic and then returns days later.
Most likely causes, in order
- Loose or corroded terminal in the sensor connector. Repeated heating and cooling gradually backs the terminals out and lets corrosion in. With live data on screen, gently wiggle the plug and the first few inches of harness by hand and watch for the value to jump.
- Wiring chafing against a bracket or heat shield. The classic cause of a fault that only appears over bumps or under load, because that is when the loom actually moves. Inspect the full run from the sensor to where the harness disappears into the loom, paying attention to any point where it is tied down or passes an edge.
- A cracked or loose pressure pipe. A pipe or rubber sleeve that opens up as it heats gives an erratic reading rather than a steadily wrong one. Check the sleeves at each end of the metal pipes and that both pipes are still firmly on their tappings.
- Sensor beginning to fail. Sensors can go intermittent before they fail completely, but this is the last thing to conclude, not the first.
Worth knowing: An intermittent is only caught with the car misbehaving, so a recorded live-data drive that actually triggers it is worth paying for - the alternative is replacing parts blind and hoping. If it shows up mainly on cold, damp mornings and clears once everything has warmed through, look at moisture in the connector before anything else.
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 P0474 mean?
P0474 means Exhaust Pressure Sensor A Circuit Intermittent/Erratic. The fault comes and goes, which points at a connection that only breaks under vibration, heat or load.
Can I drive with P0474?
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.