P0206 reports an electrical fault, mainly an open circuit, in the injector circuit of cylinder 6. The engine module watches each injector output: GM flags an open circuit at an impedance of 200 kΩ or more – on direct injection and diesel engines in 10 of 20 or 5 of 10 samples and with the warning light in the first trip, on some port-injected engines only after two trips. Ford's port injection reads a fault bit from the driver chip that covers open, short to ground and short to voltage alike; Ford diesels report only the open circuit here and shorts as P0276/P0277. On direct injection the affected injector is switched off; the cylinder misfires.
Medium severity. Can I keep driving?Drive as little as possible and go to a repair shop. If you smell fuel or the engine is shaking badly, do not keep driving.
Cylinder 6 is numbered according to the manufacturer: check your engine's manual before working on it.
Symptoms
- Check engine light on
- Misfire and rough running, misfire code P0306
- Loss of power, rough idle
- Limp mode possible on diesel and direct injection
Most likely causes
- Connector at the cylinder 6 injector loose, corroded or with a broken or pushed-back pin
- Injector coil open
- Wire between module and injector open or chafed (heat, rodents)
- Injector supply missing (fuse, relay) – then usually several cylinders at once
- Driver stage in the engine module faulty
What to check, in order
Start with the simplest. You can tick off each step.
Good to know
- Repair difficulty: medium
- It can trigger limp mode.
- It affects emissions.
What each character of P0206 means
- P: Powertrain: engine and transmission
- 0: Generic code: same on every make
- 2: Fuel injection
- 06: Specific fault in that system
Frequently asked questions
Can I keep driving with code P0206?
Drive as little as possible and go to a repair shop. If you smell fuel or the engine is shaking badly, do not keep driving.
What causes code P0206?
The most common causes are: connector at the cylinder 6 injector loose, corroded or with a broken or pushed-back pin; injector coil open; wire between module and injector open or chafed (heat, rodents).
Related codes
- P0276Cylinder 6 Injector A Circuit Low
- P0277Cylinder 6 Injector A Circuit High
- P02F3Cylinder 6 Injector Circuit Range/Performance
- P0306Cylinder 6 Misfire Detected
- P0300Random/Multiple Cylinder Misfire Detected
- P020FCylinder 6 Injection Timing
Sources
- law.cornell.edu: 13 CCR 1968.2
- gsi.ext.gm.com: 18OBDG03A Engine Diagnostics
- gsi.ext.gm.com: 18OBDG04 Engine Diagnostics
- fordservicecontent.com: obd summary diesel 2023
Values and procedures vary by manufacturer. If it affects brakes, steering, fuel or high voltage, see a professional. Updated: 2026-11-04. How we build these pages.