OBD-II trouble code
P0229: Throttle/Pedal Position Sensor/Switch "C" Circuit Intermittent
SAE J2012 APR2002: throttle/pedal position sensor/switch C circuit intermittent. Section 3.9 is a dropout too brief to call an open or a short, or an excessive rate of change. 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
- Intermediate DIY
Browse every code in P0200–P0299, or start from the full code library.
What does P0229 mean?
SAE J2012 APR2002 names P0229 Throttle/Pedal Position Sensor/Switch "C" Circuit Intermittent. Section 3.9 defines intermittent/erratic as a signal that is temporarily discontinuous, a duration too short to count as an open or a short, or a rate of change that is excessive. P0227 and P0228 are the low and high rows, and they need the fault to stay present long enough to be measured with the circuit connected. P0229 is the miss those rows do not hold.
The 2007 G6 procedure does not list P0229, and it does not list sensor C. Its 1-second timers and its 0.25-volt and 4.59-volt windows belong to sensor 2. A glitch shorter than that timer is why an intermittent code exists, and it will not sit still for a short-to-ground verdict taken after the glitch has gone.
Record track C in park, ignition on, engine off, while the connector and the harness are moved. A driver watching the tool on the road is not the test. When the dropout is on the recording, then test short to ground and short to voltage with the sensor unplugged and the module disconnected, and test continuity with both ends off while the harness is flexed. A still ohmmeter check can pass the break that the flex opens. Do not add a load to the ground to hunt a drop. The offset, if you measure it, is the ground pin to battery negative against the spec this chart prints, and only while the fault is present.
RepairPal's throttle-position sensor, updated 3 September 2026, averages $185–$258, labor $78–$114 and parts $107–$145, opposite the throttle-cable spring. The printed pair is that separate sensor, rounded, where the diagram shows track C as that part. Where the sensor is integrated in the throttle body, the throttle-body average is $623–$766 and is not the printed range. An intermittent terminal was not given a parts total of its own. Wiring is outside both. Do not move a motor-driven plate by hand with the ignition on.
Common causes
- A terminal on track C that opens when the connector is moved and reads normally when it is still
- A break whose duration section 3.9 says is too short to store the low or high code
- A rate-of-change fault that a single parked voltage does not show
- A G6 sensor 2 timer used on a code and a sensor that procedure does not define
- A loaded ground test on a position signal
- A throttle body or pedal replaced while the recording is still clean
Symptoms
- P0229 stored
- A recorded dropout on track C that is gone by the time a meter is connected
- A change in the parameter when the harness is moved, ignition on, engine off, in park
- P0227 or P0228 if the same fault stays long enough for those rows
- No sensor C on a two-track diagram, which ends the test
Diagnostic steps
- 1.Confirm track C is on the diagram. Save freeze frame before clearing.
- 2.Leave the G6 sensor 2 limits and the module-replacement branch on the codes that procedure names.
- 3.In park, ignition on, engine off, record track C. Flex the connector and the harness. Keep clear of a motor-driven plate.
- 4.If the recording shows the dropout, unplug the sensor and disconnect the module. Short to ground and short to voltage are two tests. Continuity is both ends off, ignition off, repeated while the wire is moved.
- 5.Do not put a lamp on the ground. If a ground offset is part of this chart, read the pin to battery negative with the sensor connected and compare it with the printed spec, during the fault.
- 6.A part replacement waits until the flex test has a result. The printed pair is the separate sensor. A sensor built into the throttle body is the body figure in the notes. Wiring is outside both.
- 7.Do not road-test with the driver watching the screen. A passenger or a log can capture a return of the dropout.
- 8.Verification is another recorded flex test, not only a code clear.
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 page describes that sensor opposite the throttle-cable spring. Where the sensor is integrated in the throttle body, the throttle-body average is $623–$766 and is outside this pair. An intermittent terminal was not given a parts-and-labor total of its own. Wiring is outside the pair. 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.