OBD-II Code · Fuel & Air
P0206
Injector Circuit Malfunction — Cylinder 6
Severity
high
Left alone, this one tends to take other parts with it.
Can you drive it
Not for long
Driving on this one risks further damage. Get it to a shop rather than carrying on with it.
Indicative cost (USD)
$100–$500
Varies by vehicle, diagnosis, parts, and local labor. This is not a repair quote.
Cylinder 6 injector circuit fault.
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
- Cyl 6 misfire
- Check engine light
Likely causes
- Failed injector 6Most common
- Wiring
Read the full diagnostic procedureP0206 flags the cylinder 6 injector circuit, appearing on inline-6, V6 (rear bank end cylinder on most transverse layouts), V8, V10, and V12 engines.
P0206 flags the cylinder 6 injector circuit, appearing on inline-6, V6 (rear bank end cylinder on most transverse layouts), V8, V10, and V12 engines. On most domestic V8s cylinder 6 sits mid-passenger-bank, and on inline-6 BMW N54/N55 it is the rearmost cylinder closest to the firewall and HPFP.
Cheapest-first ladder
- noid light at the cylinder 6 connector to confirm a PCM pulse is arriving, resistance check at injector terminals (11-17 ohms port, 1-3 ohms direct-injection GDI, all six within 0.5 ohm of each other at the same temperature), and scope the pulse-width which should sit 2.5 to 3.2 ms warm-idle with a clean ground-side pull-down within 0.5V of ground.
- On V6 transverse engines, access to cylinder 6 often requires intake manifold removal, so confirm the circuit fault before tearing down.
- Swap with another cylinder's injector and clear codes to confirm whether the fault follows the injector.
- The expensive misdiagnosis is the labor charge to access cylinder 6 on a transverse V6 (2 to 4 hours intake-off) only to discover the actual fault was a corroded connector on top of the injector rail.
Vehicle-specific patterns2007-2013 BMW N54/N55 335i and 535i throws P0206 on the rearmost cylinder where the HPFP is bolted directly behind it, and HPFP collapse routinely tr…
- 2007-2013BMW N54/N55 335i and 535i throws P0206 on the rearmost cylinder where the HPFP is bolted directly behind it, and HPFP collapse routinely trips P0206 first (BMW SIB 13 02 09 HPFP recall covers this);
- 2005-2010Honda Odyssey and Acura MDX J35 V6 fouls or fails cylinder 6 port injector after 120k+ miles of ethanol exposure;
- 2011-2017Ford 3.5L EcoBoost F-150 and Explorer carbons up cylinder 6 GDI tips and triggers P0206 alongside misfire P0306;
- 2009-2013GM 3.6L LLT V6 (CTS, SRX, Traverse) is known for direct-injector failure on the rear bank with TSB PIP5028 documenting the pattern.
Estimated repair$120 to $1,800.
Look up another code
P0206 — frequently asked
What does a P0206 code mean?
Cylinder 6 injector circuit fault.
What causes a P0206 code?
Common causes: Failed injector 6; Wiring.
What are the symptoms of a P0206 code?
Typical symptoms: Cyl 6 misfire; Check engine light.
Is it safe to drive with a P0206 code?
Not for long. Driving on this one risks further damage. Get it to a shop rather than carrying on with it. Estimated repair: $100-$500.
How do I diagnose a P0206 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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