OBD-II trouble code
P0224: Throttle/Pedal Position Sensor/Switch "B" Circuit Intermittent
SAE J2012 APR2002: throttle/pedal position sensor/switch B circuit intermittent. Section 3.9 says the fault is too short to count as an open or a short, or the rate of change is excessive. The printed pair is a separate throttle-position sensor. A sensor built into the throttle body is a different job.
Quick facts
- System
- Powertrain
- Category
- Throttle / Idle
- Severity
- Medium severity
- Drivable
- Usually safe to drive short-term
- Repair cost range
- $190 – $260 (separate throttle-position sensor replacement, parts and labor, RepairPal national average updated 3 September 2026, where sensor B is the sensor opposite the throttle-cable spring; a throttle body with that sensor built in, and wiring, are outside this pair)
- DIY difficulty
- Intermediate DIY
Browse every code in P0200–P0299, or start from the full code library.
What does P0224 mean?
SAE J2012 APR2002 names P0224 Throttle/Pedal Position Sensor/Switch "B" Circuit Intermittent. Section 3.9 defines intermittent/erratic as a signal that is temporarily discontinuous, a fault whose duration is not long enough to be considered an open or a short, or a rate of change that is excessive. P0222 is circuit low and P0223 is circuit high, both measured with the circuit connected. P0224 is the fault that does not hold still for those tests.
The 2007 Pontiac G6 procedure that defines P0220, P0222, P0223, and P2135 does not list P0224. Sensor 2 on that page is inside the throttle body, and the hard failures are under 0.25 volt or over 4.59 volts for more than 1 second. A dropout shorter than that second, or a rate of change the intermittent row is there to catch, is not those G6 thresholds. Do not replace the control module because P0220 was the only code. That branch is written for P0220, and this code is P0224.
Freeze frame and a recorded sweep matter more than a connector that passes while it is sitting still. Move the harness and the connector with the ignition on and the engine off, in park, while the sensor B parameter is recording. Do not do that sweep on the road with the driver watching the tool. A drop that appears when the connector is moved is the intermittent path. A drop that never appears is not cleared by one wiggle.
An intermittent short to ground and an intermittent short to power are still two faults. A single unplugged voltage reading, taken while the fault is absent, does not prove either. When the fault is present, use the connected-circuit low and high tests from this chart, then unplug and disconnect the module to see whether the wire is holding the pin.
RepairPal's throttle-position sensor replacement, updated 3 September 2026, averages $185–$258, labor $78–$114 and parts $107–$145. That page puts the sensor opposite the throttle-cable spring, so it is a sensor that unbolts from the body. The printed pair is that job, rounded, and only where the diagram shows sensor B as that separate sensor. Where sensor B is built into the throttle body, the way the 2007 G6 sensor 2 is, RepairPal's throttle-body average is $623–$766 and that figure is not this pair. Wiring is outside both. Do not move a motor-driven plate by hand with the ignition on.
Common causes
- A connector or terminal that loses contact when it is moved and reads normally at rest
- A signal wire whose break is shorter than the low-code or high-code timer on this chart
- A rate of change section 3.9 includes, which a single voltage snapshot will miss
- The G6 1-second, 0.25-volt and 4.59-volt tests applied to a code that procedure does not list
- A throttle body or a separate sensor replaced while the fault is not present and the connector has not been moved
- A module replacement taken from the G6 only-P0220 branch
Symptoms
- P0224 stored
- A sensor B trace that drops out and comes back, on a recording
- A parameter that is in range while the connector is still, and leaves range when the harness is moved, ignition on and engine off
- P0222 or P0223 if the fault lasts long enough for those rows
- No G6 sensor 2 time limit that applies, because that procedure does not define P0224
Diagnostic steps
- 1.Save freeze frame. Note rpm, pedal, and whether the dropout repeats.
- 2.Do not run the G6 'only P0220, replace the module' step. This code is not on that page.
- 3.Ignition on, engine off, in park, record sensor B. Move the connector and the harness. A change that tracks your hand is the intermittent connection. Keep hands clear of a motor-driven plate and of the belt if a later check needs the engine running.
- 4.When the fault is present, measure low and high the way this chart defines them, circuit connected. Then unplug the sensor and disconnect the module. A short to ground and a short to power are separate. A quiet reading while the fault is away proves neither.
- 5.Continuity of a suspect wire is both ends disconnected, ignition off, and then again while the harness is moved. A single still reading can pass the break.
- 6.The part comes after the connection test, and only if the diagram says it contains sensor B. A separate sensor opposite the throttle-cable spring is the printed pair. A sensor built into the body uses the throttle-body figure in the notes. Wiring is outside both.
- 7.Do not lever the plate with the ignition on.
- 8.Verify with another recorded sweep, including a harness movement, not only a cleared code.
Repair cost
$190 – $260 (separate throttle-position sensor replacement, parts and labor, RepairPal national average updated 3 September 2026, where sensor B is the sensor opposite the throttle-cable spring; a throttle body with that sensor built in, and wiring, are outside this pair)
RepairPal's throttle position sensor replacement, updated 3 September 2026, averages $185–$258 (labor $78–$114, parts $107–$145), rounded to $190–$260. That page places the sensor opposite the throttle-cable spring, so the pair is the separate sensor. Where the sensor is integrated in the throttle body, RepairPal's throttle body replacement on the same date averages $623–$766 and is outside the pair. Wiring is outside it. An intermittent connector was not given its own parts-and-labor total. Check-engine diagnosis is $125–$183 and is separate.
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DIY vs shop
This is an intermediate DIY job. It usually involves diagnostic steps, specialty parts, and some careful work in tight spaces. If you have the tools and a service manual or trustworthy video for your specific vehicle, it is achievable in a weekend. Otherwise, a competent independent shop will be faster.