P216A: Fuel Injector Group E Supply Voltage Circuit/Open

Injector group E exists only on engines with at least five cylinders or five separately fed injector groups. GM petrol direct injection uses one group per cylinder, and its 2024 tables (24OBDG07) state it plainly: injector E is cylinder 5. The code covers the high-side feed of that injector. Despite the word open in the title, GM uses it for shorts: the 2008 3.6 LLT sets P216A for the high side of cylinder 5 shorted to ground or battery and leaves open circuits to P0205; the 2024 tables flag less than 0.5 ohm to ground with the driver off or to supply with it on, after two events above 9 V, one trip. GM bulletin PIP4924D lists P216A on 3.0 and 3.6 V6 engines whose injector harness rubbed through against the plenum, valve cover bolts or fuel line. Cylinder 5 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.

Symptoms

Check engine lamp on, often with a cylinder 5 misfire code
Rough running and reduced power

Most likely causes

Injector harness rubbed through at the intake plenum, valve cover bolts or fuel line
Cylinder 5 injector shorted internally
High-side driver in the engine control module faulty

What to check, in order

Start with the simplest. You can tick off each step.

Check the connector and wiring of the injector indicated
Check the continuity of the wire between the component and the control module.
Measure the resistance and compare it with the manufacturer's specification
Check the control signal with an oscilloscope; on direct injection or diesel engines, leave this to a repair shop because of the high voltages
On diesels, check the per-cylinder injection corrections

Good to know

Repair difficulty: hard
It can trigger limp mode.
It affects emissions.

What each character of P216A means

P: Powertrain: engine and transmission
2: Generic code: same on every make
1: Air and fuel
6A: Specific fault in that system

Frequently asked questions

Can I keep driving with code P216A?

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 P216A?

The most common causes are: injector harness rubbed through at the intake plenum, valve cover bolts or fuel line; cylinder 5 injector shorted internally; high-side driver in the engine control module faulty.

Related codes

Sources

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.