OBD-II trouble code
P0232: Fuel Pump Secondary Circuit High
SAE J2012 APR2002: fuel pump secondary circuit high. On the 1999 Ford PCED the monitor wire goes high with the pump commanded off, from an open pump path or from a short to power. The printed pair runs from the relay to the pump and names both.
Quick facts
- System
- Powertrain
- Category
- Fuel & Air Metering
- Severity
- High severity
- Drivable
- No — stop driving until repaired
- Repair cost range
- $90 – $1,510 (from a fuel pump relay replacement through an in-tank fuel pump replacement, both RepairPal national averages updated 3 September 2026; the inertia switch and the PCED aide-column items are outside this pair)
- DIY difficulty
- Advanced DIY
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What does P0232 mean?
SAE J2012 APR2002 names P0232 Fuel Pump Secondary Circuit High. Circuit high is measured with the circuit connected. P0231 is secondary low, which on the 1999 Ford PCED is missing B+ when the pump is commanded on. This code is the other command state.
That PCED section 4 says the PCM sees voltage on the fuel-pump monitor (FPM) circuit while the pump is commanded off. FPM is wired to a pull-up inside the PCM. The circuit goes high if, key on and pump commanded off, the FPM/FP PWR circuit loses its path to ground through the fuel pump. It also goes high if that circuit is shorted to power. A high reading with the pump commanded off is therefore not, by itself, a short to power. The open-pump path produces the same pull-up.
The cause column lists: inertia fuel shutoff switch not reset or electrically open; an open between the pump and the FPM connection to FP PWR; a poor pump ground; a fuel pump electrically open; secondary circuits shorted to power; relay contacts always closed; an open FPM wire between the PCM and the FP PWR connection; a damaged low-speed fuel-pump relay or its circuits, if equipped; a damaged PCM. The diagnostic-aides column adds that the code can set if the pump circuit is activated when the PCM expected it off, and it lists EDIS failure, high-speed fuel-pump failure, engine speed over a calibrated threshold, transmission EPC solenoid failure, and cylinder-head temperature over a calibrated threshold. Those aide items are that cell. They are not a second definition of the SAE title, and the rpm and temperature numbers are not printed there.
Natural gas: the paragraph applies to the fuel shutoff valve monitor and the fuel shutoff valve power circuits.
RepairPal's relay average is $89–$108. RepairPal's fuel-pump replacement average is $1,344–$1,513, labor $241–$353 and parts $1,104–$1,160. The printed pair spans those two jobs. Anything between them is not a third quote. The inertia switch is not in either average. Depressurize and support the vehicle on a lift or stands before a tank is lowered. RepairPal's pump page recommends replacing the filter or the inlet screen with the pump, and the relay on vehicles where the relay is known to fail. That is that page's recommendation, not a finding that the relay failed.
Common causes
- Relay contacts that stay closed, so the secondary feed is powered while the PCM commands the pump off
- A fuel pump that is electrically open, or a poor pump ground, which lets the Ford FPM pull-up go high
- An open wire between the pump and the FPM splice
- A short to power on the secondary circuit, which has to be tested separately from the open-pump path
- An inertia switch that is open or not reset, on a vehicle whose diagram has one
- The aide-column items in the 1999 PCED cell, including EDIS, EPC, and a CHT or rpm threshold that cell does not number
- A natural-gas shutoff-valve circuit, only where that note applies
Symptoms
- P0232 stored
- FPM voltage present while the pump is commanded off, which is the Ford fail
- A pump that runs when it should be off, if the relay contacts are stuck closed
- A pump that is electrically open, which the same high reading also fits until the ground path is measured
- An inertia switch that has tripped, on a diagram that includes one
- A prime or a fuel-system test that the aide says can set the code because the circuit was on when the PCM expected it off
Diagnostic steps
- 1.Stop driving if the pump is running with the key off, or if the engine stalls.
- 2.Command the pump off, key on, and read FPM. High in that state is the Ford fail. Commanded on is the P0231 question. Do not mix them.
- 3.Reset and test the inertia switch where the diagram has one. The Ford cause list includes a switch that is not reset. The Lightning-specific sentence for a damaged switch and relay is on the P0231 line, not this one. Use the switch this vehicle actually has.
- 4.Relay out. If the secondary feed is still powered with the relay removed, the short to power is in the wiring, not in stuck contacts. If removing the relay kills the feed, the contacts-always-closed cause is the relay. RepairPal says replace the relay, do not rebuild it, and check resistance against the relay or the manual.
- 5.Ignition off, module disconnected, pump left connected: continuity from the FPM splice through the pump to ground. An open on that connected path is the pull-up the PCED describes. Unplugging the pump opens the path, so that reading is not the test. The other way is three separate checks: the feed from the splice to the pump connector, the pump winding, and the pump ground. A short to power is the powered test with the pump and the relay out. One test does not prove the other.
- 6.Natural-gas applications use the shutoff-valve wording in that paragraph. Do not drop a gasoline tank for that note.
- 7.The aide-column failures (EDIS, EPC, CHT, rpm, a pump commanded on during a test) are checked from that list when the wiring and the pump ohm out. No rpm figure is added.
- 8.If the pump is replaced, depressurize, support the vehicle, and follow RepairPal's job. The $1,344–$1,513 average is the high end of the pair. The relay is the low end. Verify FPM is not high with the pump commanded off.
Repair cost
$90 – $1,510 (from a fuel pump relay replacement through an in-tank fuel pump replacement, both RepairPal national averages updated 3 September 2026; the inertia switch and the PCED aide-column items are outside this pair)
RepairPal's fuel pump relay, updated 3 September 2026, averages $89–$108 (labor $41–$61, parts about $48). RepairPal's fuel pump replacement averages $1,344–$1,513 (labor $241–$353, parts $1,104–$1,160). The printed pair rounds those ends to $90–$1,510. Values between $108 and $1,344 are not a quoted third repair. An inertia switch is not in either average. The 1999 PCED aide list (EDIS, EPC, CHT, rpm, an unexpected pump-on command) is not in the pair. Check-engine diagnosis is $125–$183 and is separate. Natural-gas shutoff-valve work is not the gasoline pump average.
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DIY vs shop
This is an advanced DIY job. It typically requires specialty tools, scan-tool access, lifting equipment, or careful sequencing to avoid causing new failures. Plan for extended downtime and have a backup vehicle. Most owners are better served by a shop that has done this repair before.