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P0442 — Evaporative Emission Control System Leak Detected (Small Leak)

P0442 means: The evap system is losing pressure through a small leak.

System: Emissions Control · 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. Fuel cap seal
  2. Small crack in an evap hose
  3. Failed purge valve that will not seal
  4. Leaking fuel tank seal

04How this code is diagnosed

Small leaks are the hardest evap faults to find. A smoke test of the evap system is the standard method.

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 P0442 mean?

The evap system is losing pressure through a small leak. Evaporative Emission Control System Leak Detected (Small Leak) is a generic emissions control code defined by SAE J2012, so it carries the same meaning on every OBD-II vehicle.

Is it safe to drive with P0442?

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 P0442?

In rough order of how often they turn out to be the problem: Fuel cap seal; Small crack in an evap hose; Failed purge valve that will not seal.

Other emissions control 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.