OBD-II Code
P0320
Severity
Not yet reviewed
Nobody on our side has assessed this code yet, so we are not going to guess at how serious it is.
Can you drive it
We cannot say
Treat it as unknown until a shop reads it with live data. If the check-engine light is FLASHING, stop driving as soon as it is safe to — that means an active misfire, whatever the code.
Indicative cost (USD)
$80–$380
From this code's diagnostic notes. Varies by vehicle, diagnosis, parts, and local labor. This is not a repair quote.
P0320 indicates a fault in the ignition or distributor engine speed input circuit — on modern engines this means the crankshaft position sensor signal to the ECM is intermittent or malformed.
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 follow the diagnostic notes further down this page, in the order they are written.
They are written in the order a shop works this code, cheapest checks first. Where they name a component, inspect its wiring and connector before replacing it.
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
- Check engine light
Read the full diagnostic procedureP0320 indicates a fault in the ignition or distributor engine speed input circuit — on modern engines this means the crankshaft position sensor signa…
P0320 indicates a fault in the ignition or distributor engine speed input circuit — on modern engines this means the crankshaft position sensor signal to the ECM is intermittent or malformed. The ECM uses this signal for ignition timing, fuel injection timing, and misfire detection, so a P0320 typically pairs with crank-no-start symptoms, intermittent stalling, or random misfire codes.
Diagnostic ladder
- visually inspect the CKP sensor connector (oil and dirt accumulation is the #1 cause on cars above 80K miles), check sensor resistance (most magnetic-pickup sensors read 500-1500 ohms; Hall-effect sensors are 3-wire with 5V reference and you should see a clean square wave on a scope at cranking speed).
- Wiggle-test the harness from the sensor to the ECM with the engine running — if RPM drops out or the code freshly logs, you have a wiring fault.
- Caveat: P0320 sometimes traces back to a failing alternator dumping AC ripple onto the ECM 5V reference — measure alternator AC output with a multimeter (should be under 50mV AC); higher means the diode pack is failing and faking sensor circuit faults.
Vehicle-specific patternsChrysler/Dodge 3.5L V6 (300M, Intrepid, Concorde, 1998-2004) — CKP sensor failure from heat-soak is the textbook P0320; sensor lives on the bellhousi…
Chrysler/Dodge 3.5L V6 (300M, Intrepid, Concorde, 1998-2004) — CKP sensor failure from heat-soak is the textbook P0320; sensor lives on the bellhousing and gets cooked by exhaust manifold radiation, $40-80 part. Subaru EJ25 (Impreza, Forester, Outback, 2005-2014) — CKP sensor connector corrosion at the front of the engine; the connector sits in the splash zone and copper-greens. Volkswagen 1.8T (Jetta, Passat, Audi A4 B5/B6, 1997-2005) — wiring harness chafe at the back of the engine where it crosses the intake manifold; intermittent P0320 with no-start hot. GM 3.8L 3800 Series II V6 (Buick, Pontiac, Olds, 1995-2005) — CKP sensor magnetic pickup fails from oil contamination at the sensor seal.
Estimated repair$80 to $380.
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