OBD-II code family
Ambient Air Temperature Input Faults (5 codes)
5 related fault descriptions. Use each full code and the exact vehicle service information to identify its circuit, monitored condition, and required tests.
Codes in this family
This is the complete published member list for this guide. Each code retains its own page; shared diagnostic context does not mean that every member has the same test or repair.
What these codes mean
P0070 concerns the ambient-temperature sensor circuit, P0071 range/performance, P0072 circuit low, P0073 circuit high and P0074 an intermittent circuit condition. These outside-air inputs are different from intake-air and engine-coolant temperature, even when a monitor compares them.
Trace the actual signal path. FCA’s June 2021 STAR example uses a mirror sensor connected directly to the body controller or through a hardwired driver-door-module pass-through. The CJAA section of Volkswagen’s 2014 specification book instead describes low/high error information received by the engine controller from the instrument cluster. Passing through a module does not always mean the signal becomes a network message.
A plausible display does not prove that the raw input and every receiving module are correct. Low/high does not establish one displayed temperature or one failed wire. A range/performance result does not certify an intact circuit, and one normal stationary reading does not clear an intermittent fault. Use the specified reference conditions and full suffix.
Manufacturer bulletins have specific limits. Ford 16-0054 addresses certain 2014–2016 Transit Connect 2.5L vehicles and conditionally repairs the sensor and connector. GM 16-NA-051 separates connector corrosion from snow/ice-related shutter conditions on its listed LaCrosse/Malibu applications. Match the vehicle, equipment, symptoms and complete fault list before selecting either branch.
Save the scan, inspect the actual accessible sensor and connections and have the prescribed circuit/input tests performed. Do not substitute another sensor’s resistance curve, bridge unknown pins or treat an unplug response as proof of healthy wiring. An outside-temperature-related A/C complaint does not itself diagnose the refrigerant system. Any replacement estimate applies only to that confirmed job.
Identify the circuit on your vehicle
Match the full DTC, reporting module, and any failure-type suffix to the service information for your exact year, make, model, engine, and equipment. An identifier alone does not establish installed hardware count, location, connector pinout, or a universal measurement.
Where the manufacturer publishes its own meaning for this code, that is the one to work from — it describes the actual component on your vehicle, which the generic definition cannot. Keep the generic description for what it is good for: it tells you which subject area the standard assigned the code to, which is useful context when the two appear to disagree. If they do disagree, follow the manufacturer.