OBD-II trouble code
P0294: Cylinder 12 Injector Circuit Low
SAE J2012 APR2002: cylinder 12 injector circuit low. A VAG-group list calls injector 12-N302 a short-circuit to ground. No balance code sits on the line before it. The printed pair is one injector if the chart replaces the valve.
Quick facts
- System
- Powertrain
- Category
- Fuel Injectors
- Severity
- Medium severity
- Drivable
- Usually safe to drive short-term
- Repair cost range
- $768 – $953 (one fuel injector replacement, parts and labor, when the vehicle chart replaces the valve after the harness test; no cylinder 12 pinpoint was read, and wiring is outside this pair)
- DIY difficulty
- Shop recommended
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What does P0294 mean?
SAE J2012 APR2002 names P0294 Cylinder 12 Injector Circuit Low. The next SAE code, P0295, is cylinder 12 circuit high, and P0296 is cylinder 12 contribution/balance. A VAG-group list prints 16678 P0294 as injector 12-N302, short-circuit to ground, and 16679 P0295 as the same N302, short to positive. Entry 16677, which would sit where a cylinder 11 quantity line sits on earlier cylinders, is missing. This page does not turn that gap into a cause.
No OEM pinpoint that names P0294 was among the M5 S85 pages read. Those pages stop, in the set that came back, at cylinder 10 for a low code (2009, 2770, P0288, short to ground, 3500 rpm) and at cylinder 9 for the same kind of line (2010, 276F, P0285). Cylinder 12 is not given their hex, their rpm limit, or their B_CFG_S85 check by this page. The G3, the G8, and the 6.0L procedures do not contain a twelfth injector. 19-NA-232 and 17-NA-194 end their contribution lists at P0284, which is not an electrical code and is not cylinder 12.
Where the VAG list is the document in force, the fault text is a short-circuit to ground. It does not say the coil is open, and it does not say the wire is shorted to positive. Short to positive on injector 12-N302 is the following line, P0295. The M5 pages that were read for other cylinders check the plug and the harness before the valve. That is their order. The chart that names P0294 has to be the one followed here, and the numbering diagram has to be the one that finds cylinder 12.
Common causes
- On the VAG-group list, a short circuit to ground on injector 12-N302
Symptoms
- P0294 stored
- P0295 stored when the list's short-to-positive line is the stored fault
- No rpm limit is stated for cylinder 12
Diagnostic steps
- 1.Locate cylinder 12 on the numbering diagram. The code number is not a location.
- 2.Apply the circuit-low test published for this engine. G3 pin numbers, G8 lamp steps, and 6.0L current rules are other engines.
- 3.If the VAG list applies, record short-circuit to ground as P0294 and short to positive as P0295. They share the N302 designator and they are not the same fault.
- 4.Do not use 276F or 2770. Those pages are P0285 and P0288.
- 5.Confirm the plug-and-harness-before-valve order on the chart that names this code. The M5 pages showed that order for other cylinders. Depressurize before the valve is removed. The printed pair is one injector when the chart replaces the valve.
Repair cost
$768 – $953 (one fuel injector replacement, parts and labor, when the vehicle chart replaces the valve after the harness test; no cylinder 12 pinpoint was read, and wiring is outside this pair)
The printed pair is RepairPal's national fuel-injector replacement updated 3 September 2026, $768–$953, labor $304–$446, parts $464–$507, and only for a chart that replaces the valve. No cylinder 12 service procedure was among the M5, G3, G8, or 6.0L documents read, so the pair is not assigned to those pages. Wiring and a module are outside. Diagnosis is $125–$183 labor, separate. The 2026 F-150 line at $1,130–$1,415 and the 2026 Tucson line at $456–$604 are other estimator lines. A cylinder 12 injector total was searched on that national page and was not broken out.
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DIY vs shop
Leave this one to a qualified shop. The barrier here is high-pressure fuel components, where residual pressure remains after shutdown and escaping fuel can penetrate skin. DIY attempts often produce a more expensive problem than the original code.