P0302 Code in 2026: Cylinder 2 Misfire, and the Few Documents That Name Cylinder 2

P0302 names a cylinder, not a cause.

The engine computer watches the crankshaft speed up each time a cylinder fires. When cylinder 2's push comes up short often enough, it counts misfires and stores P0302 — "Cylinder 2 Misfire Detected." The code says where; it does not say why. The why can be a plug, a coil, an injector, air, fuel, software, or the cylinder itself — coolant leaking into it, a valve that no longer seals, rings that let oil past.

PulsCar went through 611 manufacturer documents that name P0302, a code range covering it, or a cylinder 2 misfire — service bulletins, special service messages, preliminary information, warranty extensions, customer satisfaction programs and recall filings from Ford, Honda, Stellantis, GM, Toyota and Lexus, Mazda, Hyundai and Kia, Land Rover and Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, MINI, Audi, Volkswagen, Nissan and others — 8 of them found by a second, independent search. 425 print "P0302" in their own text. Nearly every one lists it with its neighbors, P0301 to P0304 or to P0308, and repairs cylinder 2 exactly as it repairs cylinder 1 or 3. Only 20, from 12 bulletin families, single out cylinder 2 — and all but one family name it as part of a pair or a group: cylinders 2 and 5, 2 and 3, 2 and 8, or 2, 4 and 6. The exception is two Mercedes-Benz notes for Sprinter diesels, in which cylinder 2 is simply where the damage lands on one engine.

The federal complaint file tells a different story. PulsCar went through every complaint our searches matched for P0302 or a cylinder 2 misfire — 1,334, each sorted twice, independently, by the same written rules, 138 of them found by a second, independent search. 1,305 describe a cylinder 2 misfire on the owner's own vehicle. In 643 the misfire comes with coolant in or into the cylinder, and 584 of those are Fords and Lincolns — mostly the 1.5 and 2.0 EcoBoost Escape, Edge, Fusion, MKC and MKZ. In 523 an engine was replaced, recommended or quoted. And across the whole file, when an owner of one of those Fords names a single cylinder with coolant in it, the number they name most often is 2.

By the end you will know which of five routes your P0302 is on, whether a document singles out cylinder 2 on your engine, what each route costs in 2026, which extension or program we read applies, and the cheap test that gets skipped before a coil or an engine is sold. Our P0301 guide covers the misfire family and the coil swap test in depth, and our P0300 guide the random misfire; this one is about what cylinder 2 changes and what it does not.

Claims marked 🟢 rest on a document listed in the Sources section, read in full. Claims marked ⚪ are shop-price estimates carried from our repair guides. Owner-reported figures are what people told NHTSA, published with ODI numbers, and every complaint count here comes from the 1,334 complaints sorted twice and published.

I built PulsCar after a $380 "full diagnostic" in Phuket in 2025 led to roughly $6,000 over six months across several shops (the story is on the About page). A misfire on one cylinder is where that kind of spiral often starts — a plug, then a coil, then an injector, then the news about the engine — so every claim below that rests on a document names it.

What P0302 says: cylinder 2 missed, and where cylinder 2 is

The count. The computer does not see a spark or a flame. It sees the crankshaft slow down a little when a cylinder fails to push, and it knows from the cam and crank position which cylinder that was. Enough missed pushes in a window, and it stores P0302. Several makers print the definition word for word: 🟢 Mazda's multi-model bulletin lists "P0302 - Cylinder No.2 misfire detected"; Honda's piston ring extensions list "P0302 No. 2 cylinder misfire detected".

Where cylinder 2 sits depends on the engine. On most inline four-cylinder engines it is one of four in a row. On a V6 the grouping changes by maker: 🟢 Chrysler's 3.6-liter extension groups cylinders 2, 4 and 6 on "the left cylinder head"; 🟢 GM's AFM bulletin calls cylinders 2 and 5 "the active fuel management cylinders"; 🟢 Honda's V6 ring extensions put cylinder 2 in a "Cylinder 1–3" group.

What P0302 is not. It is not proof of a bad coil, and it is not proof of a bad engine. And a stored P0302 on a car that also stores P0301, P0303 or P0304 is a different problem from P0302 alone — several documents below say so explicitly.

First: is cylinder 2 singled out on your engine?

This is the question that makes P0302 different from P0301 or P0304, and the documents answer it plainly: almost never. Of the 425 documents that print P0302, nearly all print it in a list with its neighbors and repair every cylinder the same way. The table below is every bulletin family we read that singles out a cylinder group containing 2, or names cylinder 2 as the affected cylinder — 20 documents in 12 families.

What the table means for you. If your engine is in it and the codes match, the document is where the diagnosis starts — and most of these are pairs or groups, so a lone P0302 may not fit. 🟢 Audi says so outright: "For a single cylinder misfire DTC this bulletin does not apply, continue diagnosis outside of this TSB." 🟢 A June 2026 Mercedes-Benz note for the 2023-2026 S580e plug-in hybrid says the same in other words: "If the vehicle has a single cylinder misfiring or a constant misfire, diagnose the cause of this separately."

If your engine is not in it, P0302 is diagnosed like any single-cylinder misfire: swap, look, test compression — Routes 1 to 5 below. Two procedural notes also mention cylinder 2 without making it a cause: 🟢 Mazda's intake valve cleaning procedures clean cylinders 2 and 3 together because "When mark B is located at TDC, the intake valves are closed at cylinders #2 and #3," and 🟢 Mazda's DENSO computer bulletin pairs the cylinder 2 and 3 injector circuits.

The maker atlas: who wrote about P0302, and what they blamed

The routes below quote each document; this is the map.

Ford: coolant in the cylinder, then everything else. 🟢 The 1.5-liter EcoBoost file runs from TSB 16-0150 through 19-2375 and 22-2322 to program 21N12, a short block after coolant intrusion; the 2.0-liter file from 19-2172 through 19-2346 to 22-2229, a long block. Every one of them prints the codes as "P0300, P0301-P0304" and checks "any cylinder" — none names cylinder 2. Ford's other P0302 documents blame water in plug wells, an air pipe, carbon-tracked plugs, valve guides, scored cylinder walls, driveline vibration and track driving.

Honda: piston rings, head gaskets, carbon, software. 🟢 V6 piston ring extensions from 2013 to 2026, head gasket extensions for 2016-2026 Civics, 2017-2026 CR-Vs and 2018-2026 Accords dated August 2026, 1.5 turbo extensions for 2016-2018 Civics and 2017-2018 CR-Vs, and a carbon cleaning extension for 2018-2019 Fits. All list P0302 with P0301, P0303 and P0304.

Stellantis: the 3.6-liter left head, then software. 🟢 The X56 extension 09-002-14 and its revisions test "cylinders 2, 4 and 6" and replace the left cylinder head; the 2025 information bulletin 09-011-25 describes worn intake camshaft lobes and rocker arms on 2018-2025 Pentastar models; dozens of flash bulletins reprogram modules.

GM: cylinders 2 and 5, and lifters. 🟢 21-NA-036 and PIE0688, a data request later withdrawn, for AFM V6 engines; program 18186 for 2018 3.6-liter oil control rings on cylinders 2, 4 and 6; PIP5776 and 23-NA-043 for collapsed lifters on V8 trucks.

Toyota, Lexus, Mazda, Hyundai, Kia, the Europeans. 🟢 Lash adjusters, a crank sensor rotor and a corroded connector at Toyota and Lexus; coils, frozen mufflers, carbon, a computer and the CX-9 exhaust manifold valve at Mazda; logic updates at Hyundai and Kia; solenoids, injectors, condensation and software at Land Rover, Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, MINI and Audi.

The 10-minute P0302 check

1. Read every code, with freeze frame (2 minutes). P0302 alone, or with P0301, P0303 to P0308, P0300, P0316, P0217, P0202, P219C, P0299 or a cam timing code, points to different routes. Write down the coolant temperature and engine speed at the moment it set.

2. Look at the coolant (1 minute, engine cold). Is the level where you left it? A level that drops with no drip under the car is the first sign of Route 4. White smoke at a cold start and a sweet smell count too.

3. Swap the coil (5 minutes, most four-cylinders). Move the cylinder 2 coil to cylinder 3, clear the code, drive. If the misfire moves to cylinder 3, the coil is the part. 🟢 Mazda's coil bulletin tells technicians to do exactly this: "Switch the two ignition coils of the cylinder with a misfire (identified by the misfire DTC) and a cylinder without misfire."

4. Look at the plug (while the coil is out). Oil on it, carbon tracking on the ceramic, a wet or white tip, or a cracked insulator each point somewhere different. Oil points to Route 5; a white, steam-cleaned tip to Route 4.

5. Run the VIN (2 minutes). At nhtsa.gov/recalls, and with a dealer for bulletins, programs and warranty extensions, which do not show up as safety recalls.

Six P0302 situations, and which is yours

"P0302 alone; the misfire moved when I swapped the coil." The coil. → Route 1.

"P0302 alone, plug oily or fouled, on a Honda V6, Pilot or Odyssey." Rings. → Route 5, and the extension first.

"P0302 on a Ford 1.5 or 2.0 EcoBoost, coolant dropping, white smoke at start-up." Coolant in the cylinder. → Route 4.

"P0302 with P0304 and P0306 on a 3.6 Chrysler, Dodge or Jeep, especially 2011-2013." The left head. → Route 5.

"P0302 and P0305 on a GM 3.0 or 3.6 V6 with AFM." The AFM solenoid or rockers. → Route 5.

"New plugs, new coil, the code is back within days." The cause is not in the ignition. → Routes 4 and 5, and the section on why it comes back.

The P0302 price ladder, from the bottom up

The ⚪ figures come from our P0301 guide and our spark plug replacement cost guide; the owner figures are listed with ODI numbers in the published file. The engine row leaves out three owner shares of covered engines: $100, $100 and $425.

What does it cost to fix P0302 in 2026, and when is a coil or an engine the wrong purchase? Our repair guides carry $80 to $400 for spark plugs and $150 to $400 for an ignition coil, and a coil swap test costs nothing. In PulsCar's reading of 1,305 federal complaints about a cylinder 2 misfire, the large figures are internal: 171 engine figures run from $2,673 to $18,000 with a median of $8,820, most of them quotes on Ford 1.5 and 2.0 EcoBoost engines after coolant reached a cylinder, and head or head gasket figures run from $1,800 to $10,471. A coil is the wrong purchase when the misfire did not move with the coil. An engine is the wrong purchase before a leak-down test on cylinder 2, and before the VIN is checked against Honda's 10-year extensions and Ford's program 21N12.

The five P0302 routes, cheapest first

Route 1 · Spark on cylinder 2 — plug, coil, boot and a wet plug well — $0 to $2,039

What it is. The spark on cylinder 2 is too weak or goes to ground: a worn or cracked plug, a coil failing inside, a boot tracking carbon, or water in the plug well corroding the connection. This is the route every quote starts with, and it is the only one a coil swap test can convict for free.

What the documents say.

🟢 Mazda 01-014/16, 2013-2016 CX-5 and 2014-2016 Mazda3 and Mazda6 produced before 7 April 2016. "This concern may be caused by an internal failure of the ignition coil(s) due to a high difference between cold and warm ambient temperatures." The test is the swap, and if the misfire does not follow the coil, the bulletin does not apply. Only coils from one supplier, YUMEBISHI, are affected; the convicted coil is replaced, along with that supplier's other coils made before the corrected lot.

🟢 Ford TSB 23-2011, 2019-2022 Ranger. P0300 to P0304 and P0316 "may be due to water build up in the spark plug well(s) which can lead to signs of corrosion on ignition system components." The fix includes an engine appearance cover. 🟢 Ford 26-2210 names ignition coils made between 1 April and 31 October 2024 on some EcoBoost engines, and 🟢 Ford 14-0160 has technicians inspect the plug for carbon tracking on 2011-2013 F-150 3.5 EcoBoost trucks.

🟢 GM PIP5038B, 2008-2009 3.6-liter V6 models: a coil that looks burned "may not be the cylinder causing the issue". 🟢 Audi 2032222/4, 2013-2015 RS 5: "Replacing the ignition coils and spark plugs does not fix the problem." — the cause there is software.

What the owners report. In 58 complaints a plug, coil, boot, wire or injector was replaced or named as the diagnosis and nothing says the problem came back; in 85 more, such parts were replaced and the misfire returned with no further cause named. A 2012 Town and Country owner had the plugs and the cylinder 2 coil pack replaced, then saw the cylinder 2 code return twice, the second time two days after a repair; the shop said "WE WILL HAVE TO DO THIS ALL THE TIME." A 2008 F-150 owner reports $1,292.24 in parts and labor after the number 2 plug blew out of its threads and cracked the coil.

The cheap cause that gets skipped. The swap test itself. Moving the cylinder 2 coil to cylinder 3 costs nothing and answers the question a new coil only guesses at.

Fix it yourself — the honest split. On most inline four-cylinder engines the coils sit on top under a cover, and the swap is a driveway job with one bolt and one connector per coil. If the plug comes out oily or white, stop and read Routes 4 and 5 before buying anything.

At the shop — say this: "Did the misfire move when the coil was swapped to another cylinder? What did the cylinder 2 plug look like — oily, white, carbon-tracked? Is there water or oil in the plug well?"

Route 2 · Software, wiring and false alarms — often $0 in warranty

What it is. The engine computer counts a misfire that is not a failing cylinder, or its logic causes a real one: an outdated software version, a corroded connector, a failing computer, a driveline shake the monitor misreads.

What the documents say.

🟢 MINI SI M12 11 14, Cooper S F56 with the B48M engine, produced to July 2014. "Misfire faults are stored only in the following cylinder combinations:" cylinder 1 and cylinder 4, or "Cylinder 2 and cylinder 3". The cause is "Unfavorable DME software"; the repair is programming. Any other combination is diagnosed normally.

🟢 Toyota T-SB-0072-19, 2014-2018 Highlander and Highlander Hybrid. Codes "Including but not limited to P1603, P1604, P1605, P0171, P0300, P0302, P0304, U0100". The cause is water in a computer or inverter pump connector: "The corrosion in the A43 and A9 connectors is due to poorly sealed or damaged aftermarket windshield deicer harnesses." The bulletin marks the repair not applicable to warranty.

🟢 Ford SSM 52926 and 53215, 2024 Mustang Dark Horse with the manual transmission. P0300, P0302 and P0308 after extended high-speed or racetrack driving: "Normal driving conditions will not induce this condition." The later message delivers a misfire monitor correction. 🟢 Ford SSM 53869, Bronco: driveline vibration that the misfire monitor reads as a misfire.

🟢 Lexus L-SB-0008-21, 2018-2021 RX350. "P030200 and P030500 (Cylinders 2 and 5 Misfires Detected)" are one of three companion pairs; the repair is a crank sensor rotor and software, and "The ECM (PCM) should NOT be replaced as part of the Repair Procedure." 🟢 Mazda 01-017/16, 2013-2016 CX-5 and 2014-2016 Mazda3 and Mazda6 built in Japan before 23 May 2016: injector circuit codes P0202 and P0203 together — the cylinder 2 and 3 pair — from "an internal failure of the PCM (DENSO produced only)", and "NOTE: Engine misfire related DTCs (P0301, P0302, P0303, P0304) are usually stored at the same time."

🟢 Flashes by the dozen — Hyundai, Kia, Ford, Land Rover and Stellantis — list P0302 among other codes, most at 0.2 to 0.3 hours.

What the owners report. 39 complaints were sorted under another stated cause outside the ignition and the engine's internals — software, a computer, wiring, a sensor, fuel pressure, carbon. They cut both ways: a 2017 Hyundai Elantra owner, on a second cylinder 2 coil in about 3,000 miles, writes that the repair form states an engine computer upgrade; a 2025 Ram 1500 owner's truck kept stalling after a PCM software update and an ignition control module update, with P0300 to P0303 still stored.

The cheap cause that gets skipped. The software level and the bulletin search by VIN. A dealer checks both in minutes, and on the vehicles above that is the repair.

At the shop — say this: "Is there a bulletin or a software update for my VIN that names P0302 or a misfire? Is the engine computer on the latest software version? Were any connectors or grounds checked for corrosion?"

Route 3 · Fuel and air on cylinder 2 — injector, carbon, intake and exhaust — $0 to $3,000

What it is. Cylinder 2 gets the wrong mixture: an injector that leaks or clogs, carbon on the intake valve of a direct-injection engine, an air restriction or a valve in the exhaust that sticks. The spark is fine; the cylinder cannot burn what it is given.

What the documents say.

🟢 Mazda 01-010/18, 2016-2017 CX-9 with VINs lower than JM3TC****135222 (produced before 27 December 2016).** A misfire during acceleration with a flashing light and "P0302:00 - Cylinder No.2 misfire detected and/or" P0303: "The exhaust manifold variable valve (3) then interferes with the housing and becomes stuck closed when the engine is hot." The repair is a modified exhaust manifold at 4.2 to 4.3 hours, and a crack in the turbocharger housing found on the way does not call for a turbocharger. This is the clearest cylinder-2 document we read, and it names cylinder 3 with it.

🟢 Ford TSB 24-2257, 2021 F-150 3.5 PowerBoost built on or before 30 September 2021. Reduced power with P0299 and P0301, P0302 and/or P0303: "This may be due to a restriction in the right air cleaner outlet pipe." 🟢 Audi 2060491/1, 2019 A8 3.0 TFSI: two or more of cylinders 1, 2 and 3 from fuel vapor — "This occurs only on bank 1 because of a too rich mixture." — fixed with software.

🟢 Honda Fit, 2018-2019. Honda extended coverage for valve cleaning and software because "A combination of carbon deposits on the intake valves and the PGM-FI software settings may lead to reduced combustion stability under certain circumstances." 🟢 Mazda 01-020/15 and 01-012/19 clean intake valves in pairs, and 🟢 Land Rover replaces injectors for poor fuel quality "as indicated by DTC P0301-P0308" on 5.0-liter V8s. 🟢 Kia PS720: on some replacement engines, "The connections may be swapped from cylinder No. 1 and cylinder No. 4, and from cylinder No. 2 and cylinder No. 3."

What the owners report. Injectors appear in the ignition-and-injector groups above, and eight owner figures for injectors run from $736 to $3,000, most of them Hondas. A 2020 Porsche 911 owner describes the test that settles it: "Ignition components were ruled out by swapping spark plugs and coils between banks; the misfire remained on the same cylinder." The dealer found a leaking high-pressure injector on cylinder 2. A 2019 Fit owner was told in October 2022, before the Fit extension, that the car needed a walnut blast for P0302 at $700, not covered.

The cheap cause that gets skipped. Fuel trims and an injector balance test before an injector is ordered, and on a Fit, whether the extension pays for the carbon cleaning.

At the shop — say this: "The misfire stayed on cylinder 2 after the coil and plug were swapped. Can you check the cylinder 2 injector — balance or leak-down — and the intake valve for carbon, and is there a bulletin for my VIN?"

Route 4 · Coolant in cylinder 2 — $0 if a program applies, to $16,170

What it is. Coolant gets into the cylinder: through an eroded block surface or a cracked bore on some Ford EcoBoost engines, through a head gasket on some Honda engines. The plug is washed, the cylinder misfires on a cold start, the coolant level drops with no puddle, and white smoke comes out at start-up. Left alone, the engine can hydrolock or fail.

What the documents say.

🟢 Ford 2.0-liter EcoBoost, TSB 19-2346 and its successors, 2015-2018 Edge and 2017-2019 Escape, Fusion, MKC and MKZ with build-date cutoffs. Low coolant, white smoke and/or rough running with "P0300, P0301-P0304, P0316, P0217, P1285 and/or P1299": "This may be due to coolant intrusion into the cylinder." The test is a pressure hold at 138 kPa (20 psi) for 5 hours, then a borescope through the plug holes; the question is "Is coolant present in any cylinder?" — and the answer is a long block.

🟢 Ford 1.5-liter EcoBoost, TSB 19-2375, then program 21N12, 2017-2019 Escape and 2017-2019 Fusion built from 17 September 2015 to 10 June 2019. A short block and head gasket, and a free one-time repair "for 7 years of service or 84,000 miles from the warranty start date of the vehicle, whichever occurs first". The companion program 🟢 19B37 reprogrammed the engine computer on every covered car; the new software, the bulletin says, "will improve cooling and reduce the potential for coolant intrusion into the cylinders by operating the external coolant pump for a period of time following engine shut down."

🟢 Honda, August 2026, bulletins 26-003 to 26-019 and Acura 26-001 to 26-003: 2016-2026 Civic, 2017-2026 CR-V, 2018-2026 Accord and Accord Hybrid, 2020-2026 CR-V Hybrid, Civic Si and 2025-2026 Civic Hybrid, and some Acuras. "Under certain conditions, the cylinder head gasket effectiveness may be reduced which may cause vehicles to experience overheating, coolant loss, misfire and/or DTCs P0300 thru P0304 stored." Coverage is extended to 10 years from the original purchase or 150,000 miles; the oldest 2016-2017 cars get a separate window to 31 May 2027, "regardless of time in service or mileage."

Not one of these documents names cylinder 2. Ford's say "any cylinder"; Honda's say "P0300 thru P0304". The number comes from the owners — see the next section but one. 🟢 One document outside this group does name cylinder 2 for liquid in the cylinder: Mercedes-Benz's note for Sprinter vans with the OM651 diesel says condensation from the charge air cooler can reach the cylinder "causing a mild hydro lock scenario and the connecting rod(s) to bend," and "On engine 651 cylinder 2 is affected."

What the owners report. 643 complaints connect the misfire to coolant, and 584 of them are Fords and Lincolns. A 2018 Escape owner: "Diagnoses was a very common coolant intrusion in Cylinder 2. Over $12000 in repairs needed." A 2017 Escape at 60,240 miles: "They want $9,200 new engine block." A 2018 Accord 2.0 turbo: "the head gasket failed, allowing engine coolant to leak into cylinders 2 and 3", about $6,000 paid out of pocket.

The cheap cause that gets skipped. The pressure test and the borescope before the plugs and coils. On these engines, a new coil on a wet cylinder buys a few days.

Fix it yourself — what you can check. With the engine cold, mark the coolant level on the reservoir and check it again cold after the next short drive; look under the car for drips; watch the exhaust for white smoke in the first minute of a cold start. A falling level with no drip means book the pressure test.

At the shop — say this: "Before any coil: can you pressure-test the cooling system and borescope cylinder 2? Is my VIN in Ford's 21N12, or in Honda's head gasket extension?"

Route 5 · Inside cylinder 2 — rings, valves, lifters and the head — $408 to $18,000

What it is. Cylinder 2 cannot hold compression or keeps fouling its plug: rings that let oil past, a valve that does not seal, a lifter that collapses, a cylinder deactivation part that sticks, a scored wall. This is where most of the documents that single out a cylinder group sit.

What the documents say.

🟢 Honda V6, 13-078 to 13-082 (2008-2013 Accord V6, Crosstour, Odyssey and Pilot), then 26-001 and 26-002 (2013-2017 Odyssey, 2013-2015 Pilot). "The piston rings on certain cylinders may rotate and align, which can lead to spark plug fouling." The 2014 revision of 13-078: "If the vehicle has one or more of the following stored DTCs: P0301, P0302, P0303, go to REPAIR PROCEDURE B to clean the pistons, replace the piston rings on cylinders 1–3, and replace the spark plugs on cylinders 1–4." Cylinder 2 is in the group repaired by default; cylinder 4 is added only when P0304 is stored. On 2008-2011 models Honda updates software and replaces plugs first; ring work "should only be done after the customer has returned with a second failure".

🟢 Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep 3.6-liter (ERB), X56 extension 09-002-14 and REV. A and B, 2011-2013 Journey, Wrangler, 200, Avenger, Challenger, Charger, 300, Grand Caravan, Town and Country, Durango and Grand Cherokee (the first issue also listed the 2013 Ram 1500). The codes are "P0300- Multiple Cylinder Misfire • P0302- Cylinder 2 Misfire • P0304- Cylinder 4 Misfire • P0306- Cylinder 6 Misfire". The first issue tests "the cylinders exhibiting the misfire DTC"; REV. A and REV. B make it "Perform a cylinder leakage test on cylinders 2, 4 and 6." The question: "Do any of the cylinders exhibit leakage of 25% or greater?" The repair: the left cylinder head. 🟢 For 2018-2025 Pentastar engines, 09-011-25 describes worn intake camshaft lobes and rocker arms, typically at 10,000 to 60,000 miles, with a kit to be used "instead of replacing the complete engine/long block."

🟢 GM 21-NA-036, 3.0 and 3.6 V6 in 2016-2022 Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC models. The bulletin "only addresses concerns with misfires on cylinders number 2 and/or 5, which are the active fuel management cylinders." Two causes: oil leaking past the AFM oil control valve solenoid, or rockers that do not latch, in which case "replace all 4 SRFF's (rockers) and all 4 SHLA's (lifters) on that cylinder and re-evaluate the vehicle." 🟢 GM program 18186, about 169 2018 Enclave, Impala and Traverse 3.6: "Dealers are to inspect cylinders 2, 4, and 6." 🟢 GM's collapsed lifter bulletins for V8 trucks and SUVs name the whole P0300 to P0308 range.

🟢 Toyota T-SB-0010-24 and Lexus L-SB-0009-24: exhaust-side lash adjusters after cold soaks on A25A engines, and on M20A engines in a later revision. 🟢 Ford SSM 52419, 2023-2024 Escape and Corsair, 2024 Mustang and Nautilus: a damaged plug means a borescope look, and "If the cylinder walls are scored/scraped/damaged, replace the long block engine assembly (6006) to resolve this condition." The later TSB 24-2384 drops that instruction: with damage, the head comes off for a closer look; without, a compression and leakage test.

What the owners report. 150 complaints name a head or valvetrain cause, 109 piston rings or compression, and 83 an engine failure with no cause. A 2014 Odyssey owner was quoted $5,640 for rings on cylinders 1 to 3 and paid $465 for six plugs instead. A 2016 Town and Country: "THE FIX IS LEFT HEAD REPLACEMENT AT JUST UNDER $2700." A 2019 Sierra's dealer found "a bent pushrod and a severely scored/collapsed lifter" on cylinder 2. A 2025 CR-V at about 16,000 miles: the technician "found a crack across the piston in cylinder 2", repaired under warranty.

The cheap cause that gets skipped. A compression and leak-down test on cylinder 2 and its neighbors, before the second set of plugs — and on a Honda V6 or a 3.6-liter Chrysler, the VIN check for an extension that may pay for it.

At the shop — say this: "What were compression and leak-down on cylinder 2, and on the other cylinders of that bank? Is there oil on the plug? Is there a warranty extension for my VIN — Honda's piston ring extension, Chrysler's X56?"

Is anything covering P0302 in September 2026?

The status column is our own calculation from the terms printed in each document, as of September 2026 — not a statement by the manufacturer. Most terms run from the original date of purchase or the warranty start date, which only a dealer can see. Check the exact VIN.

What the arithmetic says. 🟢 Honda's 10-year terms run from the original purchase: a car first sold after late September 2016 is still inside ten years in September 2026, if it is under 150,000 miles. 🟢 Ford's 21N12 runs "for 7 years of service or 84,000 miles from the warranty start date", and the last cars were built in June 2019, so only a car whose warranty started late could still be inside seven years. 🟢 The Honda Pilot and Odyssey ring program also ran a window that paid "regardless of time in service or mileage" until 31 January 2026; that window is over.

What does not cover it. 🟢 Ford's recalls 12V-551 and 17V-209 on 1.6-liter Escape, Fusion, Fiesta ST and Transit Connect engines concern overheating and fire, not a misfire; 17V-209's dealer instructions list misfire codes among those to check, but neither recall is a remedy for a misfire. 🟢 Chrysler's warranty bulletin D-14-12 of June 2014 sets the X56 term: "10 years/ 150,000 miles (whichever occurs first) from the vehicles In-Service Date." Its newest cars are 2013 models, so by our arithmetic only one first in service after September 2016 is still inside.

Cylinder 2 in the complaint file: which number owners name

If the documents almost never single out cylinder 2, does the complaint file? We counted, across the whole file of 780,071 complaints, the narratives that describe a misfire and name exactly one cylinder by number — a pattern count by script, not the sorting by category, with written code ranges removed first. The right-hand column lists the most often named cylinder numbers, largest first.

Two vehicle groups where owners name cylinder 2 most. On the Ford four-cylinder EcoBoost models with coolant wording, 472 of the 1,142 narratives that name one cylinder name cylinder 2 — more than cylinders 1 and 4 together. Ford's own documents check "any cylinder" and do not say why; we do not either. On the Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep V6 vans and SUVs, cylinder 2 is named in 128 of 374, and the left-bank cylinders 2, 4 and 6 together in 209 — the bank the X56 extension tests. Where owners do not. Hyundai and Kia owners name cylinder 3 slightly more often than 2; Honda V6 owners name cylinder 1 most, and owners of 2016-and-later Accords, CR-Vs and Civics cylinder 3.

What this can and cannot show. A pattern count reads words, not diagnoses, and a complaint records what an owner was told. It is not a failure rate, and it counts complaints, not cars.

What 1,334 complaints about a cylinder 2 misfire show

PulsCar went through every complaint our searches matched in NHTSA's file — naming P0302, including spellings with a letter O, a space, a suffix or a bare number after "code", or describing a misfire on cylinder 2: 1,334 complaints. The first search, built on the code and on "cylinder 2" wording next to a misfire word, found 1,196. Before writing, a second, independent search of the same file looked for what the first had missed — "number two cylinder", "cylinder two", "2nd cyl", "#2 coil", "coolant in cylinder 2", a code written as "P302" — and found 138 more; all were added and handled the same way. Every complaint was sorted twice, independently, by written rules fixed before the sorting started; the two sortings matched on the category for 1,140 of 1,334 (85%), and on whether the engine was replaced or quoted for 1,262 (95%). Every disagreement was settled by the written rules, and the published file carries both sortings, the final one, and which search found each complaint.

29 of the 1,334 did not describe a cylinder 2 misfire on the owner's own car — 16 used "cylinder 2" for something else, such as a glow plug or a cup plug, and in 13 cylinder 2 appeared only inside a list copied from a bulletin or a lawsuit. That leaves 1,305.

Coolant is half the file, and that half is Ford. 643 of 1,305 connect the misfire to coolant; 584 of those are Fords and Lincolns, 37 Hondas. Of Ford and Lincoln's 693 complaints, 584 are coolant and 412 report an engine replaced, recommended or quoted.

Each maker has its own file. Stellantis — 207 complaints, 74 of them Grand Caravans — is mostly heads and valvetrain, 84. Hyundai and Kia, 140, are mostly rings and compression, 42, and 41 of the 140 mention oil consumption, burning or adding oil, or quarts of oil. Honda and Acura, 134, split: head gasket and coolant on the Accord, 24 of 44, rings on the Odyssey, 14 of 17, carbon and injectors on the Fit and CR-V. GM, 53, leans to valvetrain and lifters, 14.

The code and the words. Only 451 of the 1,305 name P0302 by code; the rest use words. In 1,030, cylinder 2 is the only cylinder named on the car.

The makes, the years, the miles. Ford leads with 658, then Honda with 132, Dodge 99, Hyundai 74, Kia 66, Jeep 59, Chrysler 40, Lincoln 35 and Chevrolet 31. The Escape is the most frequent model with 273, then the Edge with 197, the Fusion with 155, the Grand Caravan with 74 and the Accord with 44. The median model year is 2017; of the 465 complaints that give a mileage, the median is 83,900 miles. By year received: 19 in 2015, 22 in 2016, 23 in 2017, 27 in 2018, 71 in 2019, 79 in 2020, 77 in 2021, 102 in 2022, 160 in 2023, 246 in 2024, 269 in 2025 and 210 in 2026 to 21 September.

What do 1,334 federal complaints about a cylinder 2 misfire show? In PulsCar's review of every complaint our searches matched for P0302 or a misfire on cylinder 2, each complaint was sorted twice, independently, and the two sortings matched on the category for 1,140 of 1,334 (85%). 1,305 describe a cylinder 2 misfire on the owner's own vehicle. In 643 the misfire comes with coolant in or into the cylinder, and 584 of those are Fords and Lincolns, mostly the Escape, Edge and Fusion. Another 150 name a head or valvetrain cause and 109 piston rings or low compression. In 85, plugs, coils or injectors were replaced and the misfire came back. 523 report an engine replaced, recommended or quoted, and 408 describe a stall, limp mode or a car that could not keep speed.

When it stalls: the safety side of a cylinder 2 misfire

408 of the 1,305 complaints describe a stall, a shut-off, limp mode, reduced power, or a car that could not keep up with traffic. Most single-cylinder misfires shake the car and flash the light; these went further. 112 of the 408 are coolant complaints, 60 head or valvetrain, 55 rings or compression.

A 2019 Sierra began to shake violently at 70 mph and went into limp mode on a freeway shoulder; the shop found the cylinder 2 lifter collapsed. A 2018 Accord 2.0 turbo owner lists "intermittent loss of power / limp mode" before a blown head gasket between cylinders 2 and 3 was found. A 2025 CR-V at about 16,000 miles lost power on a highway, could not hold speed, and stopped on a narrow shoulder with the driver alone inside; the dealer found the cracked piston.

What a complaint can and cannot show. These are owners' accounts, many never fully diagnosed; they cannot say how often a cylinder 2 misfire leads to a stall.

What to do. A flashing light with a shake means slow down and leave the highway; a misfire with coolant loss means stop driving. 🟢 Ford's procedure starts with the cooling system pressure hold.

What owners say they paid

We collected the dollar figures for cylinder 2 diagnoses, repairs and quotes from the 1,305 complaints — 294 figures from 262 complaints — leaving out vehicle prices, towing, rentals and loan balances, and the full list with ODI numbers is published. 205 of the 294 are quotes; 75 were paid. Grouped by what they were for:

A diagnosis. $134.50 paid for a 2017 Edge, which found coolant in cylinder 2; $1,700 quoted to drop a 2014 Escape's engine; $4,400 quoted for a 2017 Edge teardown.

Plugs and coils. $300 paid for plugs and coils on a 2017 Edge, same error afterwards; over $1,000 paid on a 2018 Accord, misfire back six days later; $2,039.29 paid on a 2007 Edge for coils, plugs, gaskets and a reprogrammed engine computer.

Injectors. $1,264 and $1,961.17 quoted on 2017 CR-Vs; $1,495.53 paid for four injectors on a 2018 Accord.

A cylinder head or head gasket. $1,893.05 paid for a left cylinder head on a 2011 Grand Cherokee; $2,700 quoted for a left head on a 2016 Town and Country; $3,100 paid for a head gasket on cylinder 2 of a 2015 Fusion; $5,998 quoted for a head gasket between cylinder 2 and the water jacket on a 2021 Accord; about $6,000 paid for a 2018 Accord 2.0 turbo; $10,470.66 quoted for a cylinder head with a worn exhaust valve seat on a 2020 Mercedes-Benz C 300.

Piston rings. $2,500 quoted for rings on cylinders 1 to 3 of a 2014 Pilot; $2,686.36 paid on a 2013 Odyssey before the owner found Honda's extension; $5,640 quoted on a 2014 Odyssey; $6,987.70 quoted on a 2013 Pilot; $7,000 quoted on a 2013 Audi Q5.

Lifters and camshafts. $12,500 quoted for all 16 lifters and the camshaft on a 2019 Sierra after the cylinder 2 lifter collapsed; $14,530 quoted for a camshaft on a 2020 Sierra; almost $15,000 quoted on a 2022 F-350 7.3, with Ford offering $5,400.

An engine. 171 figures from $2,672.80 to $18,000, median $8,820 — 146 of them Ford and Lincoln, median $8,527. $9,200 quoted for a 2017 Escape's block with coolant in cylinder 2; $10,781.40 quoted for a 2019 MKZ; $16,169.92 quoted for a 2017 MKC with coolant in cylinders 1 and 2; $18,000 quoted after a bent rod on a 2016 Pilot. Left out: $100, $100 and $425 paid as owner shares of engines covered by a service contract or an extended warranty.

Why P0302 comes back after new plugs and coils

Because the part was not the cause. In 85 complaints, plugs, coils or injectors were replaced and the misfire came back; many sorted under coolant, rings or valves began the same way. 🟢 Honda's ring bulletins describe a fouled plug as the symptom of the rings, and 🟢 Audi's RS 5 bulletin says new coils and plugs do not fix a software fault.

Because the maker's first step was meant to be temporary. 🟢 On 2008-2011 Honda V6 models, the extension replaces plugs and updates software first, and cleans pistons and replaces rings only "after the customer has returned with a second failure".

Because the wet cylinder is still wet. A 2021 Accord owner replaced the cylinder 2 coil and plug, went into limp mode days later, and was quoted $5,998 for a head gasket between cylinder 2 and the water jacket.

Why does P0302 keep coming back after new spark plugs and coils? In PulsCar's reading of manufacturer documents and 1,305 federal complaints about a cylinder 2 misfire, the most common pattern is that the plug or coil was the victim, not the cause. In 85 complaints, plugs, coils or injectors were replaced and the misfire returned with no further cause named; many others ended at coolant in the cylinder, a leaking valve or worn rings. Honda's V6 piston ring bulletins describe a fouled plug as the symptom of rings that let oil past, and replace rings on cylinders 1 to 3 when P0302 is stored. Ford's 1.5 and 2.0 EcoBoost bulletins find coolant in a cylinder with a pressure test and a borescope. Before a second set of plugs, ask for a coil swap test, a pressure test if coolant is dropping, and compression and leak-down on cylinder 2.

Can you drive with P0302?

It depends on what the car and the coolant are doing, not on the code. A steady light, a mild shake and a stable coolant level: drive gently to a diagnosis this week. A flashing light: slow down, stay off the highway, and get it looked at today, because unburned fuel overheats the catalytic converter. Coolant dropping, white smoke at start-up, or a sweet smell: stop driving. In our reading, 408 of the 1,305 complaints describe a stall, limp mode or a car that could not keep speed.

Watch the temperature gauge. 🟢 Ford's 2.0-liter bulletins list P0217, engine overtemperature, next to the misfire codes.

Should you buy a used car with a P0302 history?

It depends on what fixed it. A receipt for a named repair — a convicted coil, a flash under a bulletin, a head gasket or short block with the cause written down, a ring repair under Honda's extension — is a good sign. "Replaced plugs, cleared codes" is not, especially on a Ford 1.5 or 2.0 EcoBoost, a 3.6-liter Chrysler or a Honda V6.

Five checks before you buy. Watch a cold start for a shake and white smoke; check the coolant before and after a drive; ask for the codes and readiness monitors; ask for compression figures; and run the VIN for the programs in the coverage table.

Clearing P0302 before an inspection

Clearing the code does not clear the cause. Erasing codes resets the readiness monitors, which need days of mixed driving to complete, and a cylinder that still misfires sets P0302 again. A car with incomplete monitors can be turned away or failed.

What works instead. Find the route, fix it, and drive normally for several days before the test.

What a shop actually does with a P0302, checkpoint by checkpoint

Checkpoint 1: codes and freeze frame — every code, conditions when P0302 set, misfire counters.

Checkpoint 2: bulletins and programs by VIN — the documents in the table near the top, the extensions and the programs.

Checkpoint 3: the swap — coil and plug from cylinder 2 to another cylinder; does the misfire move?

Checkpoint 4: the plug — oily, white, carbon-tracked, cracked.

Checkpoint 5: coolant — the level, a pressure hold, a borescope through the plug hole.

Checkpoint 6: compression and leak-down — cylinder 2 and the rest of its bank, with the numbers on the estimate.

Checkpoint 7: the part — only now, with the test that condemned it written down.

Three P0302 traps that cost owners the most

Trap 1: a second set of plugs and coils. The first set did not fix it; the second will not either if the cylinder is wet or the rings are gone. Lesson: after a return, the next step is a test, not a part.

Trap 2: an engine quote without a leak-down test and a VIN check. Coolant intrusion and ring failure both look like "needs an engine" at the first shop, and on several Hondas an extension may pay for it. Lesson: ask which test found the cause and whether a program applies.

Trap 3: a document that does not match the code pattern. A bulletin for cylinders 2 and 3 together, or 2, 4 and 6, does not automatically cover a lone P0302, and one written for any cylinder does not rule cylinder 2 out. Lesson: read the codes the document lists, not only its number.

Three P0302 quotes, decoded

These are composite scenarios, not individual customers: each combines details from the documents and owner reports above; the dollar figures are drawn from the ranges on the price ladder above.

Scenario 1: 2018 Escape 1.5 EcoBoost, 71,000 miles, P0302 on cold starts, coolant topped up twice this month, quote for a coil. The owner asks for the cooling system pressure test first. The pressure drops, and a borescope finds coolant in cylinder 2. The repair is a short block, and the owner asks whether the VIN is still inside program 21N12 before paying. Lesson: on this engine, the coolant level decides the route before the coil does.

Scenario 2: 2017 Odyssey bought new in 2017, 112,000 miles, P0302, oily plug on cylinder 2, quote for rings on cylinders 1 to 3. The quote sits inside the range owners report for rings. The owner asks a Honda dealer about the piston ring extension for 2013-2017 Odysseys, 10 years from purchase or 150,000 miles, and whether the first purchase date falls inside it. Lesson: on a Honda V6, the extension check comes before the ring quote.

Scenario 3: 2013 Town and Country 3.6, 104,000 miles, P0302 with P0304, ticking at idle, quote for an engine. A second shop runs a leak-down test on cylinders 2, 4 and 6, finds one above the 25% line in Chrysler's X56 procedure, and quotes a left cylinder head inside the owner-reported head range instead of an engine. Lesson: a leak-down test on the left bank comes before an engine quote on this V6.

The P0302 plan: 10 minutes, today, this week

10 minutes: read every code with freeze frame; check the coolant level cold; swap the cylinder 2 coil with its neighbor; look at the plug.

Today: if the light flashes, slow down and stay off the highway; if coolant is dropping, stop driving. Run the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and ask a dealer for bulletins, programs and warranty extensions — Honda's ring, head gasket and Fit extensions, Ford's 21N12.

This week: if the misfire stayed on cylinder 2 after the swap, have compression and leak-down tested, and the cooling system pressure-tested if coolant is disappearing — and get the test that condemned any part written on the estimate.

Sources and documents

Primary documents only. Where a claim in this guide is marked 🟢, it rests on one of the items below, and the reference is given so you can pull the document yourself. Claims marked ⚪ are shop-price estimates carried from PulsCar's repair guides — estimates, not measurements from a dataset we own.

1. Documents that single out cylinder 2. GM 21-NA-036 and PIE0688; Chrysler 09-002-14, REV. A and REV. B; GM program 18186; Lexus L-SB-0008-21; Mazda 01-010/18 and 01-010/18b; MINI SI M12 11 14; Land Rover SSM74161 and Jaguar SSM74160; Audi 2060491/1; Ford 24-2257, SSM 52926 and 53215; Toyota T-SB-0072-19; Mercedes-Benz LI03.10-N-071148 and LI03.10-N-075843.
2. Ford. 1.5 EcoBoost: 16-0150, 19-2375, 22-2322, programs 21N12 and 19B37 with Supplement #4; 2.0 EcoBoost: 19-2172, 19-2346, 22-2229, SSM 47204; 23-2011 (Ranger); 14-0160; 19-2243; SSM 46391; 16-0037; SSM 52419 and 24-2384; 26-2210; SSM 53869; recalls 12V-551 and 17V-209 (acknowledgements, Part 573 reports, dealer and owner letters).
3. Honda and Acura. Piston ring extensions 13-078 (and version 8, version 11), 13-079, 13-080, 13-081, 13-082; 25-060, 25-061, 26-001, 26-002. Head gasket extensions 26-003, 26-004, 26-010, 26-017 and the rest of 26-005 to 26-019, 26-097, 26-098, 26-099, Acura 26-003 and the dealer index message. 1.5 turbo extensions 19-032, 19-033, 19-037, 19-038. Fit carbon cleaning extension notice (bulletin 23-042).
4. Stellantis. X56 09-002-14 and revisions (above); warranty bulletin D-14-12, read after the study closed; 09-011-25; 18-069-16; the Pentastar, Hurricane and 1.3 flash bulletins listed in the published document file.
5. GM. 21-NA-036, 18186, PIP5038B, PIP5776H, 23-NA-043.
6. Toyota, Lexus, Mazda, Hyundai, Kia and the Europeans. Toyota T-SB-0010-24, Lexus L-SB-0009-24; Mazda 01-014/16, 01-017/16, 01-011/16, 01-020/15, 01-012/19; Hyundai 14-FL-007, 20-01-027H; Kia FUE045, PS720; Land Rover LTB00409NAS3; Audi 2032222/4; Mercedes-Benz S580e note.
7. PulsCar analysis of NHTSA public data, September 2026: 1,334 complaints our searches matched for P0302 or a cylinder 2 misfire, each sorted twice, independently, with both sortings and every settled disagreement; owner-reported amounts; the list of all 677 document records — 611 read in full — with read status, whether each names P0302, and whether it singles out cylinder 2. Data and method.

For the neighboring pages: P0300, random misfire, P0301, P0303, P0304, a flashing check engine light with shaking, spark plug replacement cost and the code index.

Methodology. The document set is every manufacturer communication in NHTSA's index whose summary names P0302, a misfire code range covering it, or a cylinder 2 misfire, plus documents cited by those or by complaints, plus 8 found by a second, independent search — 611 distinct documents read in full, 60 byte-identical copies set aside, 6 with no PDF on NHTSA. The complaint set is every complaint in NHTSA's file that our searches matched for P0302 (with spellings using a letter O, a space, a two-character suffix or a bare number after "code") or a misfire on cylinder 2 — 1,334 in all, 1,305 of them relevant: 1,196 from our first search and 138 added by a second, independent search for wordings the first one missed. Every complaint was sorted twice, independently, by written rules fixed and dated before the sorting began (the two sortings matched on the category for 1,140 of 1,334, or 85%), and every disagreement was settled by written rules published with the data. Every complaint quoted, and every dollar figure, was read in full. The cylinder-number table is a separate pattern count by script over the whole file. Coverage status is our computation from the printed terms, as of September 2026. Nothing here is a failure rate.

Prices verified July to September 2026 in the repair guides they are carried from, and reviewed quarterly. Technical documents verified September 2026: the 611 documents read in full in our published list — among them GM 21-NA-036, Chrysler 09-002-14 REV. B, Mazda 01-010/18b, Ford 19-2346 and program 21N12, and Honda 13-078, 26-001, 26-002 and 26-003 — and Ford recalls 12V-551 and 17V-209.

Had a P0302 fixed by a coil, a head gasket, rings or a program — or talked out of an engine? Email [email protected] with the vehicle, mileage and outcome.