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P0116 — Engine Coolant Temperature Circuit Range/Performance

P0116 means: Coolant temperature rises more slowly or faster than the controller's model predicts.

System: Fuel & Air Metering · Standard: SAE J2012 generic code · Severity: Low urgency

01Can you keep driving?

Low urgency

No immediate safety risk. Monitor it and fix it at the next service, but do not ignore it indefinitely.

02What you will notice

03Likely causes, most common first

  1. Sticking thermostat
  2. Failed coolant temperature sensor
  3. Low coolant level

04How this code is diagnosed

A thermostat stuck open is the classic cause: the engine never reaches operating temperature.

Start by reading every stored and pending code, not just this one. A single fault frequently sets three or four codes at once, and the first one in the freeze-frame data is usually the cause while the rest are consequences.

Common questions

What does P0116 mean?

Coolant temperature rises more slowly or faster than the controller's model predicts. Engine Coolant Temperature Circuit Range/Performance is a generic fuel & air metering code defined by SAE J2012, so it carries the same meaning on every OBD-II vehicle.

Is it safe to drive with P0116?

Low urgency. No immediate safety risk. Monitor it and fix it at the next service, but do not ignore it indefinitely.

What are the most likely causes of P0116?

In rough order of how often they turn out to be the problem: Sticking thermostat; Failed coolant temperature sensor; Low coolant level.

Other fuel & air metering codes

Sourcing

Code number, system and definition follow the SAE J2012 / ISO 15031-6 generic diagnostic trouble code standard. Symptoms, causes and severity are the standard generic diagnostic logic for that fault. This page does not contain manufacturer-specific procedures, part numbers or pricing.