OBD-II trouble code
P0226: Throttle/Pedal Position Sensor/Switch "C" Circuit Range/Performance
SAE J2012 APR2002: throttle/pedal position sensor/switch C circuit range/performance. The value is in range and still wrong for the condition. Do not load this ground to measure it. The printed pair is a separate throttle-position sensor.
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 C is the sensor opposite the throttle-cable spring; a throttle body with that sensor built in, and wiring, are outside this pair)
- DIY difficulty
- Shop recommended
Browse every code in P0200–P0299, or start from the full code library.
What does P0226 mean?
SAE J2012 APR2002 names P0226 Throttle/Pedal Position Sensor/Switch "C" Circuit Range/Performance. Section 3.2 says range/performance is a circuit inside the normal operating range that is not correct for current conditions. P0227 and P0228 are the low and high rows, measured with the circuit connected. A reading that is already pegged is those codes, not this one, when the calibration uses them.
Section 6's 1.5-volt-versus-1.0-volt idle example is sensor A. It shows that a manufacturer may file an in-range but wrong value as the general code or as the range code, and that the root cause is not in the message. The volts are not a P0226 spec. The 2007 G6 procedure never lists P0226. Its correlation code for the two sensors it does have is P2135. Do not run a sensor 2 correlation test and call it sensor C.
A position-sensor signal is a high-impedance input. Adding a lamp or another load to 'voltage-drop' the ground changes the circuit you are trying to measure and will not show a small offset the way a starter-cable drop shows a bad cable. With the circuit connected and powered, measure the voltage between the sensor's ground pin and battery negative. Compare that offset with the spec this chart prints. No number is added here. If the chart does not print an offset, do not invent one.
The slope of track C against pedal travel, in park, ignition on, engine off, is the performance check when the chart gives the slope. Record it. A cable-throttle binding check is ignition off. A motor-driven plate is not levered open with the ignition on.
RepairPal's separate throttle-position sensor, updated 3 September 2026, averages $185–$258, labor $78–$114 and parts $107–$145, and that page seats it opposite the throttle-cable spring. The printed pair is that job, rounded, where the diagram shows track C as that separate sensor. Where track C is integrated in the throttle body, RepairPal's throttle-body average is $623–$766 and stays in the notes. Wiring is outside both.
Common causes
- Track C inside its voltage window and outside the relationship this chart wants with pedal position
- A ground offset measured pin to battery negative, compared with the published spec, without an added load
- A P2135 sensor 1-to-sensor 2 test used as if the G6 book had a sensor C
- The SAE sensor A example's 1.0 volt and 1.5 volt used as a limit
- A loaded voltage-drop test on a signal ground that cannot be loaded
- A throttle body or pedal replaced before the slope and the ground offset are recorded
Symptoms
- P0226 stored
- Track C present and not pegged at the low or high rail this chart uses
- A slope that does not match the pedal, on a recording made in park
- No G6 correlation result to borrow, because that procedure's correlation code is P2135 for sensors 1 and 2
- A ground offset the published spec calls out, if it prints one
Diagnostic steps
- 1.Confirm the diagram has a C track. The 2007 G6 procedure does not define this code.
- 2.Park, ignition on, engine off. Record track C against pedal position and against the slope this chart prints. Do not use 1.0 volt and 1.5 volt from the sensor A example.
- 3.If the reading is under the low limit or over the high limit, you are on P0227 or P0228, not on a range test.
- 4.Measure track C's ground pin to battery negative with the sensor connected and the ignition on. Do not add a test load. Compare the offset with the spec. If no spec is printed, say so and do not substitute a millivolt guess.
- 5.Ignition off for a cable-linkage check. Do not open a motor-driven plate by hand with the ignition on.
- 6.Short to ground and short to voltage are the low and high tests, done when the value is actually out of range, with the module disconnected so the driver is not the short.
- 7.The part that contains track C is replaced after the slope and the wires fail. The printed pair is the separate sensor. A track built into the throttle body uses the body figure in the notes. Wiring is outside both.
- 8.Verify with another recorded pedal sweep in park.
Repair cost
$190 – $260 (separate throttle-position sensor replacement, parts and labor, RepairPal national average updated 3 September 2026, where sensor C 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. The job description places that sensor opposite the throttle-cable spring. Where the sensor is integrated in the throttle body, the throttle-body average on the same date is $623–$766 and is outside this pair. Wiring is outside it. Check-engine diagnosis is $125–$183 and is separate.
Estimate your repair
Run the numbers for your vehicle
Open the Repair Cost Estimator with check engine light diagnosis preselected. Adjust labor rate and vehicle category to fit your situation.
DIY vs shop
Leave this one to a qualified shop. The barrier here is manufacturer-grade tooling, training, or certification that most home setups do not have. DIY attempts often produce a more expensive problem than the original code.