OBD-II Code

P0545

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)

$90–$1,500

From this code's diagnostic notes. Varies by vehicle, diagnosis, parts, and local labor. This is not a repair quote.

P0545 sets when the ECU detects a 'circuit low' fault on the exhaust gas temperature (EGT) sensor 1 on bank 1 - the EGT sensor monitors exhaust gas temperature ahead of the catalytic converter or DPF (on diesels) and is used for emissions strategies including catalyst protection (cutting fuel when EGT exceeds catalyst melting threshold) and active regeneration trigger logic on DPF-equipped diesels.

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 procedureP0545 sets when the ECU detects a 'circuit low' fault on the exhaust gas temperature (EGT) sensor 1 on bank 1 - the EGT sensor monitors exhaust gas t…+

Cheapest-first ladder

Locate the EGT sensor - threaded into the exhaust manifold or downpipe ahead of the cat, with a 2-pin connector and a thermocouple-style construction.
Disconnect the sensor and DMM the signal wire to ground with KOEO - stuck-low with the sensor unplugged confirms a harness short to ground; floating with the sensor unplugged means the sensor is the failure.
Check the sensor connector for heat damage - EGT sensors live in some of the hottest under-hood real estate and connectors melt.
Confirm the sensor itself isn't physically damaged - cracked thermocouple sheaths can short to the exhaust pipe (ground) and produce exactly this code. Expensive-misdiagnosis trap: a stuck-low EGT signal disabling DPF regen on a diesel and eventually clogging the DPF - the fix shifts from $90 (sensor) to $1,500+ (forced DPF regen or replacement).

Vehicle-specific patterns2011-2016 Ford F-250/F-350 with the 6.7L Power Stroke diesel throws P0545 from a melted EGT-1 connector at the turbo outlet.+

2011-2016Ford F-250/F-350 with the 6.7L Power Stroke diesel throws P0545 from a melted EGT-1 connector at the turbo outlet.
2009-2014Dodge RAM 2500/3500 with the 6.7L Cummins throws P0545 commonly from sensor failure after high-mileage service.
2013-2018Chevy/GMC 2500HD with the 6.6L Duramax LML/L5P throws P0545 from chafed EGT harness near the turbo.
2014-2018RAM 1500 EcoDiesel 3.0L throws P0545 from a known supplier-quality EGT sensor failure.

Estimated repair$90 to $1,500

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