OBD-II Code · Fuel & Air
P2118
Throttle Actuator Control Motor Current Range/Performance
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.
TAC motor drawing current outside expected range — overcurrent or undercurrent on actuator drive.
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
- Limp mode
- Reduced power
- Check engine light
- Possible no-start
Likely causes
- Seized throttle blade (carbon)Most common
- Shorted motor winding
- Open motor winding
- High-resistance connection
Read the full diagnostic procedureP2118 means the throttle-actuator-control motor is drawing current outside its expected range — either too much (the motor is straining against a sei…
P2118 means the throttle-actuator-control motor is drawing current outside its expected range — either too much (the motor is straining against a seized blade or a shorted winding) or too little (a broken winding or high-resistance connection in the motor circuit). The ECM monitors the H-bridge driver current on every throttle command and compares it to a learned baseline; when the measured current deviates by more than the tolerance window, P2118 sets and the car drops to limp mode.
Cheapest-first
- pull the throttle body and verify the blade moves freely by hand with the connector unplugged — any binding, sticky carbon resistance, or grit in the bore raises motor current and trips this code.
- Clean the throttle body if there's any carbon at all.
- If the blade moves freely after cleaning and the code returns, you're looking at a motor-winding issue inside the throttle body (which means full unit replacement on every modern ETC system — the motor isn't serviceable separately) or a wiring problem between the ECM and the throttle body.
- Backprobe the two motor-drive wires and measure resistance to chassis ground with the connector unplugged; any reading less than infinite means the winding has shorted to the motor case.
Vehicle-specific patterns2006-2010 Hyundai / Kia 2.4L Theta and 3.3L / 3.5L Lambda engines (Sonata, Santa Fe, Sorento) is a high-incidence P2118 platform — the throttle-body…
- 2006-2010Hyundai / Kia 2.4L Theta and 3.3L / 3.5L Lambda engines (Sonata, Santa Fe, Sorento) is a high-incidence P2118 platform — the throttle-body motors fail at 80-110k miles and the entire throttle body has to be replaced (Hyundai sells them as a sealed unit, ~$250-400 OEM).
- 2007-2012Mazda CX-7 / CX-9 with the 2.3L DISI turbo and 3.7L V6 throws P2118 from the same internal motor wear pattern.
- 2008-2014VW / Audi 2.0T (CCTA, CBFA) sees P2118 from a known throttle-body internal fault where carbon buildup binds the gear train and overcurrents the motor; cleaning helps short-term but the unit eventually needs replacement.
- 2010-2015Ford Fusion / Escape with the 2.5L Duratec gets P2118 from a corroded throttle-body connector under the cowl area. Critical: throttle-body replacement requires a relearn on every one of these platforms — ECM-level on the VW/Audi (VCDS), TIS on Mazda, GDS on Hyundai/Kia, IDS on Ford — skip it and P2118 returns within a day.
Look up another code
P2118 — frequently asked
What does a P2118 code mean?
TAC motor drawing current outside expected range — overcurrent or undercurrent on actuator drive.
What causes a P2118 code?
Common causes: Seized throttle blade (carbon); Shorted motor winding; Open motor winding; High-resistance connection.
What are the symptoms of a P2118 code?
Typical symptoms: Limp mode; Reduced power; Check engine light; Possible no-start.
Is it safe to drive with a P2118 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 P2118 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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