OBD Codes List

Diagnostic reference · P21A0

P21A0

Cylinder 5 Air-Fuel Ratio Imbalance

System
Fuel and air metering (P code)
Lamp
Check Engine Light
Category
Powertrain - Fuel/Air Metering

What it means

P21A0 means Cylinder 5 Air-Fuel Ratio Imbalance.

Check these first

  • A dirty or faulty fuel injector on cylinder 5
  • A weak spark plug on cylinder 5
  • An intake manifold leak near cylinder 5
  • Low compression on cylinder 5
  • A fuel pressure or fuel temperature sensor fault

What to do next

  1. Read the cylinder 5 fuel trim on a scan tool
  2. Swap the cylinder 5 injector and see if the fault follows
  3. Check the cylinder 5 spark plug
  4. Check for an intake leak near cylinder 5
  5. Run a compression test on cylinder 5
  6. Clear the code and retest

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Updated

Generic SAE J2012 definition. Last updated 2026-10-10.