OBD-II Code · Chassis
C0046
Right Rear Wheel Speed Sensor Circuit
Severity
medium
Worth booking. It costs fuel, emissions or comfort until it is fixed.
Can you drive it
Only if running normally
A short trip to a shop may be reasonable if the light is steady and the car runs normally. Stop safely for a flashing light, severe shaking, overheating, loss of power, or another urgent warning. The code alone cannot confirm safety.
Indicative cost (USD)
$150–$400
Varies by vehicle, diagnosis, parts, and local labor. This is not a repair quote.
LR WSS range.
How a shop works this
Work from evidence to part, not the other way round. A code names a circuit or a symptom; it does not name the part that failed.
Note every code that is set, not just this one.
Codes that appear together usually narrow the cause faster than any one of them read alone.
Read the freeze frame — the conditions the fault was recorded under.
Cold or warm, idle or load, road speed and engine speed. A fault that only appears cold is a different fault from one that only appears under load, even with the same code on the scanner.
Confirm the fault is current rather than history.
Clear the code and see whether it returns under those same conditions. A code that does not come back may have been logged during a repair, a flat battery, or a bad connection that has since been disturbed.
Then work the likely-causes list in the order shown.
That order is what a shop checks first for this code — wiring and connections before the component they run to, because a connector costs nothing to inspect and is a common answer.
If the code comes back after a repair, the underlying fault is still there. That is the point to bring in a scanner with live data and freeze-frame, or a shop that has one.
Common symptoms
- ABS light
Likely causes
- Failing WSSMost common
- Tone ring
Read the full diagnostic procedureC0046 is the mirror-image of C0041 on the right rear wheel — generic fault in the RR wheel speed sensor circuit, signaling that the EBCM is not seein…
C0046 is the mirror-image of C0041 on the right rear wheel — generic fault in the RR wheel speed sensor circuit, signaling that the EBCM is not seeing the expected signal from the RR WSS during wheel rotation.
Cheapest-first ladder is identical to C0041
- Lift the vehicle, spin the RR by hand at ~1 rev/sec, and watch live data. Passive WSS should produce 0.4-1.5V AC building with speed; active Hall-effect WSS should produce a 0.2-1V DC square wave with frequency climbing as the wheel spins. Compare against the LR signal — if the LR is healthy and the RR is flat, the fault is isolated to the RR circuit.
- DMM-check passive sensor resistance at the connector (1,000-2,500 ohms typical; open or shorted is a dead sensor). Back-probe active sensors for the supply and signal voltages key-on.
- Inspect the harness from sensor to body grommet — on most rear-axle layouts the RR runs along the differential housing or trailing arm and is exposed to the same rust and rub-through hazards as the LR.
- Pull and visually inspect the sensor tip and tone ring; measure air gap if accessible. Expensive-misdiagnosis caveat: GM trucks 1999-2007 — the ABS tone ring on the right rear CV axle (4WD) or rear axle shaft (2WD) rusts off the same way as the left rear, leaving a clean stub of axle and an infinite air gap. The sensor is fine; the fix is the axle or a slip-on repair tone ring, not a new $80 WSS that does nothing for a missing ring.
Vehicle-specific patterns1999-2007 GM trucks (Silverado/Sierra/Tahoe/Yukon/Suburban) with the Kelsey-Hayes 325 EBCM throw C0046 from rusted-off tone rings on the rear axle, c…
- 1999-2007GM trucks (Silverado/Sierra/Tahoe/Yukon/Suburban) with the Kelsey-Hayes 325 EBCM throw C0046 from rusted-off tone rings on the rear axle, corroded sensor connectors at the harness junction near the differential, and water-damaged EBCM internals — visual ring inspection is step one before any sensor purchase.
- 1997-2014Ford F-150 with rear hub-mounted WSS throws C0046 from failed rear hub bearings that destroy the integrated encoder ring; the fix is the full $180-$300 hub assembly.
- 2008-2014Dodge Caravan/Town & Country throws C0046 from the same trailing-arm harness rub-through pattern as C0041, just on the passenger side.
- 2002-2009Subaru Outback/Forester throws C0046 from corroded RR knuckle-mounted sensor bolts that seize and break the sensor on removal.
Estimated repair$80 to $450.
Look up another code
C0046 — frequently asked
What does a C0046 code mean?
LR WSS range.
What causes a C0046 code?
Common causes: Failing WSS; Tone ring.
What are the symptoms of a C0046 code?
Typical symptoms: ABS light.
Is it safe to drive with a C0046 code?
Only if running normally. A short trip to a shop may be reasonable if the light is steady and the car runs normally. Stop safely for a flashing light, severe shaking, overheating, loss of power, or another urgent warning. The code alone cannot confirm safety. Estimated repair: $150-$400.
How do I diagnose a C0046 code?
Work from evidence to part, not the other way round. A code names a circuit or a symptom; it does not name the part that failed. 1. Note every code that is set, not just this one. 2. Read the freeze frame — the conditions the fault was recorded under. 3. Confirm the fault is current rather than history. 4. Then work the likely-causes list in the order shown.
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