Number P0201: Cylinder 1 Injector A Circuit/Open
P0201 reports an electrical fault, mainly an open circuit, in the injector circuit of cylinder 1. The engine module watches each injector output: GM flags an open circuit at an impedance of 200 kΩ or more – on direct injection and diesel engines in 10 of 20 or 5 of 10 samples and with the warning li
Can you drive with P0201?
Severity: Fix promptly — drivability fault. Short trips at moderate speed only. If the car has entered limp mode (won't rev, stuck in one gear), have it towed rather than forcing it.
If you ignore it: Limp-mode faults tend to strand you, and several of them (misfires, throttle faults) damage other parts while you wait.
This is the #15 most common code in our top-150 library, in the electrical, charging & network family (Powertrain system). Severity is Number Nest's editorial triage — if the light is flashing or the car feels unsafe, stop driving it whatever any page says.
What P0201 means
P0201 reports an electrical fault, mainly an open circuit, in the injector circuit of cylinder 1. The engine module watches each injector output: GM flags an open circuit at an impedance of 200 kΩ or more – on direct injection and diesel engines in 10 of 20 or 5 of 10 samples and with the warning light in the first trip, on some port-injected engines only after two trips. Ford's port injection reads a fault bit from the driver chip that covers open, short to ground and short to voltage alike; Ford diesels report only the open circuit here and shorts as P0261/P0262. On direct injection the affected injector is switched off; the cylinder misfires.
Systems involved: fuel injector cylinder 1, injector wiring, engine control module (ECM/PCM).
Causes, ranked by likelihood
| # | Cause | Likelihood |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Connector at the cylinder 1 injector loose, corroded or with a broken or pushed-back pin | most likely |
| 2 | Injector coil open | possible |
| 3 | Wire between module and injector open or chafed (heat, rodents) | possible |
| 4 | Injector supply missing (fuse, relay) – then usually several cylinders at once | less common |
| 5 | Driver stage in the engine module faulty | less common |
Check them in order — the list is ranked so the likely, cheaper causes come before the expensive part.
Symptoms you may notice
- Check engine light on
- Misfire and rough running, misfire code P0301
- Loss of power, rough idle
- Limp mode possible on diesel and direct injection
Misdiagnosis traps
- Replacing the part named by the code title without testing. The code reports a failed self-test; the cause list above is ranked so the likely, cheap causes are checked before the expensive part is condemned.
- Clearing the code and declaring victory when the light stays off for a day — the monitor that sets this code runs only under specific driving conditions.
(General diagnostic guidance for this code family — no code-specific trap is published for this code.)
How a good shop confirms it
- Confirm the code and record any companion codes — companions narrow the system fast.
- Inspect the affected components and their wiring/connectors for damage, corrosion and looseness.
- Test the top-ranked cause with live data or a multimeter before replacing anything.
(Standard diagnostic path for this family, labeled as general guidance.)
Repair options & costs
| Repair | Shop total (parts + labor) | DIY (parts only) | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel injector service / replacement set | $400 – $863 | $250 – $550 (parts only) | 3/5 |
National ranges from Number Nest's cost model (midsize car, independent shop, US-average labor). Published cross-check — Fuel injector service / replacement set: CarMD 2026 national average $572.
OBDex repair data for this code rates the job difficulty medium with a typical labor time in the 0.5–4 hour range and DIY possible: yes.
Price this repair in your state
Estimated total: — (midsize car, independent shop)
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to fix P0201?
The fix most associated with this code — fuel injector service / replacement set — runs $400 – $863 at an independent shop for a midsize car in our cost model (parts + labor, US average). The code names a system, not a part, so confirm the cause before spending: the ranked causes above are ordered by likelihood.
Can I drive with P0201?
See the can-you-drive verdict above — it is based on the system involved and the cascading-damage risk, and it is our editorial triage, not a manufacturer instruction. If the light is flashing or the car feels unsafe, stop driving it regardless of any code.
Will P0201 clear itself?
If the fault was a one-off (a loose cap, a cold-start glitch), the light can go out after several clean trips and the code ages into history. A fault that is still present re-sets the code as soon as the car runs that self-test again — monitors run under specific conditions, which is why "it hasn't come back in two days" is not proof of a fix.
Will my car fail inspection with P0201?
In states with OBD-based emissions inspection, yes — an illuminated check-engine light or an incomplete readiness monitor fails the test regardless of what the tailpipe would show. C-codes (ABS) fall under safety inspection instead in states that have one.
What should I check first for P0201?
The first item on the ranked-causes list above — it is ranked likelihood-first for exactly this reason — plus the free checks: recent work in the area (connectors left loose are a classic), fluid levels, and the battery and grounds on electrical codes.
Where this data comes from
Code facts, causes and symptoms come from OBDex — an open dataset of independently authored descriptions of the standardized generic OBD-II codes (CC0 1.0, public domain; github.com/foerbsnavi/OBDex). The SAE J2012 document itself is copyrighted and is not reproduced here. Cost ranges are Number Nest's own US planning model: national parts and labor ranges cross-checked against the CarMD Vehicle Health Index 2026 published averages, with labor adjustable by the BLS OEWS May 2025 state wage index for auto technicians (occupation 49-3023) — a wage index, not a surveyed shop rate. Severity and can-you-drive notes are our editorial triage, not a manufacturer instruction.