P0112 — Intake Air Temperature Sensor 1 Circuit Low
Low severityWhat it means
P0112 is stored when the engine control unit sees a fault involving the intake air temperature (IAT) sensor signal. The IAT sensor tells the control unit how warm the incoming air is, which fine-tunes fuelling and ignition timing, especially on cold starts. A “low” reading means the signal is stuck near the bottom of its range, which usually points to a short to ground or an internally failed sensor.
Common symptoms
- The live reading sits abnormally low or at zero
- Poor fuel economy
- Rough running on cold starts
- Minor hesitation in some cases
Likely causes
- Signal wire shorted to ground
- Internally failed sensor pulling the signal low
- Faulty IAT sensor (often built into the MAF)
- Corroded or damaged sensor connector
What to check first
- Compare the live signal against a known-good range and check for a short to ground
- On a cold engine, IAT should match coolant and ambient temperature in live data
- Inspect the connector and pins
Can you keep driving?
Safe to drive; only fuel economy and cold running suffer until repaired, and it is usually a cheap fix.
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