OBD-II Code
P0473
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)
$40–$550
From this code's diagnostic notes. Varies by vehicle, diagnosis, parts, and local labor. This is not a repair quote.
$40 (harness repair) to $550 (sensor + harness pigtail + labor).
P0473 is the opposite-rail fault from P0472 — the Exhaust Back Pressure sensor is reporting a voltage above the ECM's calibrated high threshold, typically above 4.5-4.8V on a 0-5V analog sensor.
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 procedureP0473 is the opposite-rail fault from P0472 — the Exhaust Back Pressure sensor is reporting a voltage above the ECM's calibrated high threshold, typi…
P0473 is the opposite-rail fault from P0472 — the Exhaust Back Pressure sensor is reporting a voltage above the ECM's calibrated high threshold, typically above 4.5-4.8V on a 0-5V analog sensor.
Cheapest-first ladder
- Pull the connector at the EBP sensor and inspect for green/white corrosion or a soaked pigtail — a corroded ground or shield pin pulls the signal wire up to reference voltage and looks identical to a stuck-high sensor.
- Scan live data with the engine off: a healthy EBP sensor reads 0-0.3 psi at key-on engine-off (atmospheric). If it reports 30-50 psi at KOEO, the sensor is electrically pegged high — either internal sensor failure, a signal wire shorted to 5V reference, or a corroded connector. Cross-check by unplugging the sensor; if the PID drops to zero or to a default fault value, the sensor itself is bad; if it stays pegged high, the harness is shorted upstream.
- Backprobe at the sensor connector with a DMM — signal pin should sit near 0.5V at KOEO with engine off; a reading near 5V confirms short-to-reference inside the sensor body or wiring. Verify expected ranges: 0-10 psi at idle for naturally aspirated gas, 5-30 psi for turbo gas under boost, 30-50 psi for diesel at full load with exhaust brake engaged. Expensive-misdiagnosis caveat: on Ford 6.0L/6.4L Powerstrokes, a P0473 is almost never the sensor itself — it's the EBP tube/pigtail harness chafing through against the exhaust manifold and shorting to the 5V reference; spend the 30 minutes inspecting the harness routing before ordering parts, because a $300 sensor doesn't fix a $0 chafing point.
Vehicle-specific patterns2003-2007 Ford 6.0L Powerstroke throws P0473 from harness chafe at the EBP sensor pigtail where it routes past the up-pipe — Ford addressed this in O…
- 2003-2007Ford 6.0L Powerstroke throws P0473 from harness chafe at the EBP sensor pigtail where it routes past the up-pipe — Ford addressed this in OEM service bulletins with a re-routing kit, but most shops just resleeve with high-temp loom and zip-tie clear of the manifold.
- 2008-2010Ford 6.4L Powerstroke fails similarly but the sensor sits in a different location and the failure mode shifts toward sensor-internal short from heat soak.
- 2007-2016Duramax LMM/LML reads EBP via a differential-pressure sensor across the DPF and a P0473 there usually means a kinked or split pressure-tube hose dumping reference air; inspect both lines before sensor replacement.
- 2007-2018RAM Cummins 6.7L uses EBP as a primary input for the integral exhaust brake actuator, so a P0473 there typically kills brake-saver function and triggers a derate.
- 2009-2014VW 2.0 TDI (Jetta, Passat, Golf) reads DPF differential pressure across the substrate and a stuck-high reading shows up as P0473 paired with regen-related codes; the differential-pressure hoses crack at the elbows. Common diesel concern: soot accumulation across DPF substrate inflates back pressure readings — run an active regen before condemning the sensor.
Estimated repair$40 (harness repair) to $550 (sensor + harness pigtail + labor).
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