P3473 reports an open circuit to the deactivation or intake valve actuator of cylinder 10, the last cylinder of a V10. No manufacturer documents this code publicly; J2012 reserves the codes for cylinders 9 to 12 for engines with more than eight cylinders. The V10 engines known for cylinder shut-off are Audi's 5.2 FSI in the R8 and Lamborghini's Huracán from model year 2016. Audi says its system idles one bank in the upper four gears by switching off injection and ignition, so it needs no valve actuator that this code could watch. On a twelve-cylinder engine with valve deactivation the code would mean a broken wire, an open coil or a bad connector at cylinder 10. P3475 and P3476 deal with shorts, P3474 with the mechanical result, P3477 with the exhaust valve.
Medium severity. Can I keep driving?Drive little and gently. If you hear timing chain noise or the oil light comes on, shut off the engine.
Cylinder 10 is numbered according to the manufacturer: check your engine's manual before working on it.
Symptoms
- Check engine lamp on
- Engine no longer switches to reduced-cylinder mode
Most likely causes
- Wire to the cylinder 10 actuator open or chafed
- Cylinder 10 solenoid coil open
- Corroded or loose connector at cylinder 10
- Engine control module driver failed
What to check, in order
Start with the simplest. You can tick off each step.
Good to know
- Repair difficulty: medium
- It affects emissions.
What each character of P3473 means
- P: Powertrain: engine and transmission
- 3: Generic or manufacturer code, depending on the range
- 4: Emissions
- 73: Specific fault in that system
Frequently asked questions
Can I keep driving with code P3473?
Drive little and gently. If you hear timing chain noise or the oil light comes on, shut off the engine.
What causes code P3473?
The most common causes are: wire to the cylinder 10 actuator open or chafed; cylinder 10 solenoid coil open; corroded or loose connector at cylinder 10.
Related codes
- P3474Cylinder 10 Deactivation/Intake Valve Control Performance
- P3475Cylinder 10 Deactivation/Intake Valve Control Circuit Low
- P3476Cylinder 10 Deactivation/Intake Valve Control Circuit High
- P3477Cylinder 10 Exhaust Valve Control Circuit/Open
- P3400Cylinder Deactivation System Bank 1
- P3497Cylinder Deactivation System Bank 2
- P0310Cylinder 10 Misfire Detected
Sources
- law.cornell.edu: 13 CCR 1968.2
- media.audiusa.com: 404
- pistonheads.com: 33255
- gsi.ext.gm.com: 19OBDG03B Diagnostics
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.