P216B: Fuel Injector Group E Supply Voltage Circuit Low

P216B reports the feed of injector group E pulled toward ground. In GM petrol direct injection, group E means the injector of cylinder 5, so the code appears on V6 and V8 engines. GM's 2016 3.6 LGX V6 and 2018 6.2 LT4 V8 tables treat it as the injector 5 high-side line being grounded: while the driver is switched on, 25 A or more flows through it. With at least 11 V, 10 failures out of 20 samples at 100 ms set the code, type A, so the MIL lights on the first trip. GM's preliminary information PI0631H for 2012 and 2013 Impala found the engine harness chafing against a transmission edge, which can ground a single circuit such as this one. The injector is shut off and cylinder 5 drops out. P216A is the general fault, P216C the short to voltage.

Symptoms

• Check engine lamp on immediately
• Cylinder 5 misfire, noticeable shaking

Most likely causes

• High-side wire of injector 5 chafed through to ground, for example on the transmission
• Cylinder 5 injector shorted to its housing
• Engine control module output stage faulty

What to check, in order

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

1. Check the connector and wiring of the injector indicated
2. With the connector unplugged, check whether the signal wire is making contact with ground.
3. Measure the resistance and compare it with the manufacturer's specification
4. Check the control signal with an oscilloscope; on direct injection or diesel engines, leave this to a repair shop because of the high voltages
5. 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 P216B means

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

Frequently asked questions

Can I keep driving with code P216B?

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 P216B?

The most common causes are: high-side wire of injector 5 chafed through to ground, for example on the transmission; cylinder 5 injector shorted to its housing; engine control module output stage faulty.

Related codes

• P216AFuel Injector Group E Supply Voltage Circuit/Open
• P216CFuel Injector Group E Supply Voltage Circuit High
• P216EFuel Injector Group F Supply Voltage Circuit Low
• P0273Cylinder 5 Injector A Circuit Low
• P0305Cylinder 5 Misfire Detected
• P2147Fuel Injector Group A Supply Voltage Circuit Low

Sources

• gsi.ext.gm.com: 16OBDG05 Engine Diagnostics
• gsi.ext.gm.com: 18OBDG03A Engine Diagnostics
• static.nhtsa.gov: SB 10043310 1492

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.