OBD-II Code · Fuel & Air
P2015
IMRC Position Sensor Range/Performance (Bank 1)
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)
$200–$900
Varies by vehicle, diagnosis, parts, and local labor. This is not a repair quote.
Intake manifold runner position sensor error — common on VW/Audi.
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
- Check engine light
- Rough idle
- Reduced power
Likely causes
- Broken IMRC flapMost common
- Failed position sensor
- Stuck actuator
Read the full diagnostic procedureP2015 means the ECU is reading the IMRC position-sensor feedback as out-of-range or non-correlating with the commanded actuator position on bank 1 —…
P2015 means the ECU is reading the IMRC position-sensor feedback as out-of-range or non-correlating with the commanded actuator position on bank 1 — the runner-flap position sensor (usually a rotary potentiometer or hall-effect sensor on the flap shaft) is either drifting, sticking, or reporting a position that doesn't match where the actuator is actually moving. This is a performance code, not a hard circuit fault, so it requires live-data diagnosis.
The cheapest-first ladder
- scan-tool the IMRC commanded position and actual position simultaneously through a key-on-engine-off active test that sweeps the actuator from 0% to 100% and back.
- A healthy system tracks within 5% deviation across the full sweep;
- P2015 typically sets when deviation exceeds 10% for more than 2 seconds.
- If commanded swings 0-100% but actual reads flat or jumps in steps, the position sensor is bad — typical wear pattern on potentiometer-style sensors after 100k miles.
- If actual tracks commanded but lags by 1-2 seconds, the mechanical linkage is dragging from carbon buildup.
- Stepper-motor current draw during the sweep should peg around 0.8-1.2 A; a sticking flap pulls 1.5+ A. The expensive-misdiagnosis caveat: don't replace the IMRC actuator on a P2015 without first decoupling the linkage and sweeping the actuator alone — many of these codes are caused by carbon-locked runner flaps inside the intake manifold while the actuator itself is fine, and the cure is a walnut-blast or chemical decarbon rather than a $400 actuator.
Vehicle-specific patterns2007-2014 Ford 3.5/3.7 Cyclone (Edge, Explorer, Taurus, MKZ) sets P2015 from carbon buildup on the intake runner flap shafts well before the actuator…
- 2007-2014Ford 3.5/3.7 Cyclone (Edge, Explorer, Taurus, MKZ) sets P2015 from carbon buildup on the intake runner flap shafts well before the actuator fails — high-mileage GDI Cyclones are notorious for this and a $200 walnut-blast service often clears the code without any parts.
- 2005-2010Ford 4.6/5.4 Triton throws P2015 (sometimes called IMRC Monitor Stuck Open/Closed) from worn plastic linkage rods that snap and leave the flaps stuck in one position; the fix is an aftermarket metal repair kit for around $50.
- 2010-2017GM 3.6 LFX/LLT throws P2015 from broken intake-manifold flap-shaft retainers that allow the flap to detach from the actuator entirely — inspect the manifold internals via borescope before quoting parts.
- 2011-2018Hyundai/Kia Theta 2.4 throws P2015 from carbon-locked CVVT-related runner valves at 80k+ miles.
Estimated repair$50 (linkage repair kit on the 5.4 Triton) to $1,400 (intake manifold replacement on the GM 3.6 LFX).
Look up another code
P2015 — frequently asked
What does a P2015 code mean?
Intake manifold runner position sensor error — common on VW/Audi.
What causes a P2015 code?
Common causes: Broken IMRC flap; Failed position sensor; Stuck actuator.
What are the symptoms of a P2015 code?
Typical symptoms: Check engine light; Rough idle; Reduced power.
Is it safe to drive with a P2015 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: $200-$900.
How do I diagnose a P2015 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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