P0316 Misfire on Startup: Coil, Plug, Coolant or Software?

P0316 is the code for a misfire at start-up. Mazda prints it as "P0316 Misfire Detected On Startup (First 1000 Revolutions)"; Porsche prints it as "Misfire when the engine starts (first 1000 crankshaft revolutions)". It says the engine ran unevenly in the first moments after it started. It does not say why. At a cold idle of 800 to 1,200 revolutions a minute, 1,000 revolutions is roughly 50 to 75 seconds (our arithmetic).

This page answers one question: why does my engine misfire or shake only at start-up, and is it a coil, a plug, an injector, fuel, coolant in a cylinder or software; can I drive; what does it cost. It covers a misfire or rough running that shows in the first seconds or minutes after starting, whether or not the code is P0316. A misfire that happens all the time or under load has other pages: P0300 for the random misfire, P0301, P0302, P0303, P0304 and P0306 for single cylinders, the flashing check engine light and a car running rough.

The headline. The code is a name, not a cause. We sorted 1,801 federal owner complaints received from January 2015 to 4 October 2026. 1,602 describe a misfire or rough running at start-up and 199 do not. Only 157 of the 1,602 print P0316; the others describe the shake in words. 850 (53%) end at engine internals, and 605 of those mention coolant; only 22 (1%) end at a coil or a spark plug. Most of the engine cases (580 of 850) are Ford Escape, Edge, Fusion, MKC and MKZ; among makes other than Ford and Lincoln (724 complaints), 28% end at engine internals.

Only four makers define the code (three with the 1,000 revolutions), and Ford and Lincoln, which print it in 61 of the 70 papers that name it, mostly file it in a list, sometimes beside a rough idle that happens hot.

Is a start-up misfire usually a coil or a spark plug, and should that be the first part you buy? PulsCar sorted 1,801 federal owner complaints, and 1,602 describe a misfire or rough running at start-up. Only 22 of them end at a coil or a plug (1%). 850 end at engine internals (53%) and 605 of those mention coolant, while 492 (31%) never state a diagnosis. The maker papers that print P0316 name software, water in the spark plug wells, injectors, valve guides, a cylinder head and coolant leaking into a cylinder. Read the full code list with the freeze frame, check the coolant level cold and ask a dealer to run your VIN for bulletins before you buy a part. These are owners who wrote to NHTSA, so the shares are not failure rates.

🟢 marks a claim resting on a maker paper in the Sources section; ⚪ marks a shop-price estimate from our repair guides. Every complaint count comes from the 1,801 complaints we sorted and published; the maker papers are listed.

Words on this page. PCM, ECM, DME: names for the engine computer. MIL: the check engine light. Freeze frame: the speed, temperature and load saved when a code sets. Cold soak: a car left to cool for hours. Borescope: a small camera put into a cylinder through the plug hole. Short block: the bottom of the engine; a long block adds the cylinder heads. TSB (bulletin), SSM (special service message) and program: maker notes to dealers, not safety recalls, so nhtsa.gov/recalls does not list them. Lash adjuster: a small oil-fed part that keeps a valve seating. Porosity: tiny holes in a casting that let coolant through.

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).

What P0316 says: the engine ran unevenly in the first 1,000 revolutions

The definition. 🟢 Mazda's bulletin for the 2010-2011 Tribute 2.5L prints "P0316 Misfire Detected On Startup (First 1000 Revolutions)" in its repair chart (01-005/20). Land Rover's service note SSM73378 for the 2.0L Discovery Sport and Range Rover Evoque prints "Misfire detected on start-up (First 1000 revolutions)" (SSM73378). Porsche prints "P031600 - Misfire when the engine starts (first 1000 crankshaft revolutions)" for the 2020-2024 911 (992) with the 7-speed manual (87/25), and Mercedes-Benz prints "P031600 - Combustion misfires were detected at engine start." for the 2023-2026 S580e (LI07.70-P-080607). No Ford paper in what we read prints a definition.

What the code is not. It is not a time of day and not a part. 🟢 Ford's TSB 19-2243, for the 2.7L and 3.0L, lists P0316 for "rough idle in neutral or park at normal operating temperature or after a hot restart" and blames "the valve guides." TSB 24-2191, for the 2024 F-150 3.5L PowerBoost, lists P0316 beside P0300 and several cylinder codes and prints no start-up wording at all. A bulletin that names P0316 is not necessarily about a cold start, and a cold-start misfire is not necessarily stored as P0316.

What you feel. A shake, a stumble or a rough idle for a few seconds to a minute or two. Owners who print the code tell a longer story: of the 157 that print P0316, 124 end at engine internals and only 4 say it happens only at start-up.

First: is it really a start-up problem?

Sort the pattern before the parts. The papers separate five things that all feel like a rough start, and not all are faults.

How long the roughness lasts points to the cause. The papers print their own windows, and the window is a clue.

Each window comes from one maker's paper for one engine; do not use it as a test of your car. The lesson across all of them: if it clears when warm, that proves nothing about how serious it is. Coolant in a cylinder clears when warm, a leaking injector clears when warm and a harmless catalyst-heating idle clears when warm.

The maker atlas: who prints P0316 or a start-up misfire, and what they blame

Bulletin numbers link to NHTSA's PDF. Ford is split by engine, as its papers are.

The do-not-replace lines: what the papers tell a shop to hold back

• Land Rover 2.0L (SSM73378): 🟢 "If the result of the checks are negative, please do not proceed with replacing the fuel injectors at this time." and, for ignition faults, "If the faulty components are spark plugs, ignition coils or any electrical wiring, do not proceed with this SSM."
• Land Rover 5.0L (LTB00409NAS3): 🟢 the injector procedure applies only if P0316 comes with a cylinder code: "P0316 must not be stored on its own."
• Ford 1.5L (17-0028): 🟢 oil-like liquid in the intake manifold is not the leak: "may be as deep as 14 mm (1/2”) is a normal function of the intake manifold and PCV system. No repairs are necessary."
• Ford 1.5L and 2.0L (19-2208, 22-2134): 🟢 the short block (1.5L) or long block (2.0L) is replaced only if the cooling system loses more than 4 psi over 5 hours and coolant is found in a cylinder. The 2.0L bulletin (19-2208) asks "Is coolant present in any cylinder?"
• Ford 1.5L and 2.3L cold-soak messages (SSM 53293, SSM 54451): 🟢 "The replacement of components or reprogramming of modules will not resolve this condition." (SSM 54451)
• GM coolant-at-the-liner papers (PIP4959D, PIP5498A): 🟢 "If this concern is present, do not replace the cylinder head because that will not repair this concern."
• Stellantis (S2018000014): 🟢 "Do not replace all of the injectors."

The 10-minute check

1. Write down the pattern (3 minutes). How long does the shake last? After how long parked: an hour, overnight? What was the temperature? Steady light, flashing or none? Did the engine ever die? The papers above sort causes by these answers.

2. Read every code, with the freeze frame (2 minutes). P0316 alone, or with P0300 and a cylinder code? 🟢 With P0217, P1285 or P1299, Ford's 2019-2022 1.5L and 2.0L papers point at coolant in a cylinder. The freeze frame holds the coolant temperature when the code set (Jaguar's bulletin continues only at or below 75°C, 167°F; Ford's Focus ST paper names below 49°C, 120°F). A parts store reads codes free; if its reader cannot show the freeze frame, a shop can.

3. Check the coolant, cold (2 minutes). With the engine off and cold, look at the reservoir against its marks and mark the level with tape. 🟢 Ford's 1.5L paper 16-0150 lists "low coolant, white exhaust smoke and an illuminated MIL" with the codes. A reservoir that falls with no puddle is the sign to stop treating this as an ignition problem; if it drops again after one top-up, follow the towing rule at the top (our advice).

4. Look and smell at the next start (1 minute). White smoke that is still thick after the first two minutes and a sweet smell from the tailpipe point the same way; thin vapor that is gone within a minute or two on a cold day is water, according to our guide to white smoke from the exhaust.

5. Run the VIN (2 minutes). At nhtsa.gov/recalls for safety recalls, and with a dealer for bulletins, programs and updates, which may not show there.

Six start-up situations, and which is yours

"A 2023-2025 Escape or 2025 Bronco Sport 1.5L: P0300 and P0316 after the car sat overnight, nothing else, coolant steady." Ford's cold-soak case. → Route 1.

"A 2014-2019 Fusion or 2017-2019 Escape 1.5L (the 21N12 program covers only 2017-2019), or a 2015-2018 Edge, 2017-2019 Fusion, Escape, MKC or MKZ 2.0L: coolant needs topping up, white smoke, P0316 with P0217, P1285 or P1299." Coolant intrusion. → Route 5.

"A 2019-2022 Ranger or a 2010-2011 Tribute with water in the plug wells; a Focus ST or a Ford GT that needs a plug gap or a plug inspection." → Route 2.

"A Land Rover or Jaguar with P0316 only when started cold, or a BMW or Kia with a 30-second shake on the first start of the day." Software or injectors. → Routes 1 and 3.

"A Focus, an Escape or another car that hesitates only on the first start after filling the tank." The vapor system. → Route 4.

"A shake for 20 to 60 seconds, no light, no code, nothing else changed." Possibly designed behavior, possibly software; watch the coolant. → Routes 1 and 5.

The P0316 price ladder, from the bottom up

How much does it cost to fix a start-up misfire in 2026, and at what point is the bill an engine? PulsCar took every dollar figure in the 1,602 complaints that an owner tied to a repair or a test for this fault (towing and rental left out): 296 figures in 238 complaints, 71 of them amounts paid or bills. Diagnostic fees run $100 to $600 (median $190), plugs and coils $140 to $1,606. The top engine figure, $21,898, is a camshaft repair on a medium-duty F-650 whose owner names P0316 but describes no start-up shake. Our guides carry $80 to $200 for plugs, $150 to $400 for one coil and $350 to $700 for one injector. A software update costs $0 when a warranty or program covers the car. So the pressure test and the VIN lookup come before any part.

The five routes, cheapest first

Each route is a place the misfire can come from, cheapest to rule out first. The engine inside (valves, carbon, cam phasers, head gaskets, coolant in a cylinder) is the most-named cause in the complaints (850 of 1,602, 53%; 605 of those mention coolant) but sits last, because it is the most expensive to get wrong: every coolant paper we read asks the shop to prove the coolant first, so an engine quote without a pressure test and a look into the cylinders skips that step.

Route 1 · A repair the maker may cover: software, a campaign or special coverage — $0 where a warranty or program applies

What it is. The maker has printed a fix for a start-up misfire on certain cars: usually a reprogram of the engine computer, sometimes a part, paid by the warranty, a program or a campaign. Status is in the coverage file below.

What the documents say.

• 🟢 Ford 1.5L Escape and Bronco Sport. SSM 53293: "This concern typically happens after initial engine start up following an overnight cold soak." and "This condition does not affect vehicle durability and no additional diagnosis or service is required for this condition at this time." The update arrived as 25-2133, eligible under the warranties.
• 🟢 Ford 2.3L Bronco and Ranger, then also Explorer. SSM 54451 (2025 Bronco and Ranger) said the same for a cold soak and "The replacement of components or reprogramming of modules will not resolve this condition." The answer, 26-2269 (2025 Bronco and Ranger, 2025-2026 Explorer), inspects and, if the head qualifies, replaces the cylinder head: "This may be due to the machining surface of the intake ports in the cylinder head." It applies only with no other powertrain codes and a head stamped "EBN7A", and allows 12.4 to 13.7 hours.
• 🟢 Ford's other P0316 software papers blame "various software parameters within the PCM" (21-2085); 23-2314, for the 2024 Mustang 2.3L, adds "The vehicle may also run rough during a cold start." 25-2293 first asks whether the coolant temperature was 60-75 degrees C (140-167 degrees F) when P0300:00 set, and otherwise sends the shop to normal diagnostics.
• 🟢 Jaguar 2013-2014 XF and XJ, 2014 F-TYPE. JTB00533NAS1: "This may be caused by a fuel injection calibration issue." The PCM is configured in 0.2 hours, and only if the freeze-frame coolant was at or below 75°C.
• 🟢 Toyota and Subaru. T-SB-0156-19 reprograms 2017-2020 86 models with an automatic transmission built before a printed VIN for "rough idle at cold start noticeable when engine coolant temperature is around 50°F (10°C)." Subaru's 11-193-19 reprograms the BRZ with the 6-speed automatic for P0300.

What the owners report. Only 13 of the 1,602 complaints (1%) end with software alone, and 9 of those 13 say the shake came back. A small group, but it makes the update the first step, not proof of a fix; keep watching the coolant. If no warranty or program covers your VIN, most of Ford's software papers allow 0.3 to 0.4 hours of labor for the reprogram. 357 (22%) mention a recall, bulletin, program or coverage notice, and 46 name Ford's programs 19B37 (a PCM reprogram) or 21N12 (the short block).

The cheap cause that gets skipped. The lookup. A dealer can compare the software level with the latest and run the VIN against open bulletins and programs.

Fix it yourself. The lookup only. A flash needs the maker's tool and a battery support unit; nhtsa.gov/recalls lists safety recalls, while bulletins and updates need the dealer and your VIN.

At the shop — say this: "Please run my VIN for any recall, program, special service message or software update about a start-up misfire or P0316 on this engine, and write the answer on the repair order before any part is ordered."

Route 2 · Spark plugs, plug wells and coils — $0 for a coil swap test, $80 to $200 for plugs on an inline-four

What it is. The ignition parts and the water or fouling around them: coil-on-plug, plugs, plug wires, plug wells. 22 of the 1,602 complaints (1%) end here: 10 at plugs and 12 at coils.

What the documents say.

• 🟢 Mazda 2010-2011 Tribute 2.5L. 01-005/20: "Driveability concerns may be due to water entry into the spark plug wells, affecting ignition coil-on-plug(s) performance." The shop clears the cam cover trough and its drain hole, removes the coils and looks for water; it replaces only the coil tied to the code, never uses RTV or dielectric grease on the boot, and stops if there is no water.
• 🟢 Ford 2019-2022 Ranger. 21-2147 (2019-2021) and 23-2011 (2019-2022) say the codes may be due to "water build up in the spark plug well(s) which can lead to signs of corrosion on ignition system components," and apply to cars with water in a plug well or signs of corrosion. Their first step is to resolve the misfire codes (P0300 to P0304 and/or P0316) by normal diagnostics.
• 🟢 Ford Focus ST. 18-2093: P0300 and/or P0316 "with engine coolant temperature below 49°C (120°F)." The fix is to inspect the plugs (a car that already has CYFS-12-YEC plugs gets the gap set to 1.0 mm; otherwise "install four new CYFS-12-YEC spark plugs and set plug gap to 1.0 mm (0.040 in.)"), then reprogram the PCM, 0.9 hours in all. It applies only if P0300 and/or P0316 are the only codes stored. The earlier SSM 46539 (2015-2017 Focus ST) gave no fix.
• 🟢 Ford GT. SSM 49028 asks first about "multiple cold engine start-ups without allowing the engine to reach normal operating temperature and being driven", then for a plug inspection. Ford F-53 7.3L: 20-2370 blames "damaged spark plug wire(s)."

What the owners report. The groups are too small for shares; 5 of the 10 plug complaints say the fault came back. 208 complaints mention a plug or coil being replaced, changed or installed; 156 of them (75%) say it returned, so read this as histories, not a failure rate. A 2017 Escape owner, codes P0304 and P0316: "Dealer swapped ignition coils from 3-4. Misfire stayed on cylinder 4. Dealer swapped spark plug on cylinder 4. Misfire cleared up." The next day: "Dealer found coolant leaking into cylinder 4."

The cheap cause that gets skipped. What the old plug and the plug well look like. A plug that is wet, corroded or will not come out is evidence about the cylinder; a swapped plug that quiets the misfire is not proof of the cause, as the Escape owner found.

Fix it yourself — the honest split. On an easy engine with coil-on-plug, swap the coil with its neighbor and see whether the misfire follows; our spark plug guide calls this a free step, and a DIY set of plugs is $8 to $60. Do not force a plug that will not turn: the same guide prices extracting a broken two-piece plug on an older Ford Triton at $100 to $200 and damaged threads at $500 to $1,500.

At the shop — say this: "Before a coil, swap it with a neighbor to see if the misfire moves, pull the plug and show me what it looks like, and look in the plug well for water, oil or coolant."

Route 3 · Injectors, fuel and carbon — $10 to $25 for a cleaner, $350 to $700 for one direct-injection injector

What it is. Fuel arriving wrong or leaking in: injectors, fuel pressure, the pump module, carbon on the valves and the fuel itself. 62 complaints (4%) end here, and 27 of them (44%) describe a stall, one of the highest shares of any group; one mentions a flashing light.

What the documents say.

• 🟢 Land Rover 2.0L. SSM73378 prints an injector test with numbers: soak overnight for at least 8 hours, idle 300 seconds, "If any individual cylinder causes more than 25 misfire counts in the current misfire values the tests is positive." If negative, no injectors, and "it may be necessary to pressurise the engine cooling system and let the vehicle sit with the engine off for several hours to test for coolant ingress into the cylinders as a potential cause." The 5.0L papers (LTB00409NAS3 for Land Rover, SSM63697 for Jaguar) blame poor fuel quality clogging injectors.
• 🟢 Ford 2018 F-150 2.7L. 18-2270 (4.4 hours for the injectors; 2018 F-150 2.7L with more than 500 miles, built on or before 12 July 2018) and 20-2324 (injectors 4.9 hours, or 0.3 hours for a software update if codes such as P2196 or P2198 are stored; built before 12 July 2018) list P0316 and replace the injectors only if the fuel-rail pressure drops "below 6.9 kPa (10 psi) within 30 seconds after engine shut down" (as Ford prints it; 10 psi is about 69 kPa).
• 🟢 BMW N63 and S63. SI B13 07 12 lists "During a cold start in the morning, the engine runs very roughly" among four complaint scenarios, with a hot start and a misfire while driving.
• 🟢 Carbon and fuel. Audi's S5 paper (2034871/1): "Hydrocarbons form carbon deposits when low-quality fuel is combined with a short distance driving cycle." Its first step is an additive and 60 miles. GM's PIP5029G cleans the upper engine after a 2.5 to 3 hour soak and warns that cleaner induced carelessly can hydro-lock the engine and bend a connecting rod.

What the owners report. Honda owners were quoted or paid $1,400 to $3,000 for injectors. A 2008 BMW 335i owner: "THEY HAVE DIAGNOSED THE ISSUE IS THAT 2 OF THE INJECTORS ARE STUCK IN THE FULLY OPEN POSITION." The car stalled after a cold start, smelled strongly of gasoline and blew white smoke.

The cheap cause that gets skipped. The fuel and the driving. Audi blames low-quality fuel plus short trips; Stellantis's S2018000006, a service record on a cold-start rough idle of several seconds, says that once the software is current and normal diagnostics find no other cause, the roughness "does not harm the engine or vehicle", and tells dealers to advise owners to try other stations. A bottle of cleaner is $10 to $25 in our fuel injector guide.

Fix it yourself — the honest split. One bottle of fuel additive in the tank and a 60-mile drive is what Audi's paper for the 2008-2009 S5 4.2 FSI asks for first; it advises Top Tier fuel afterwards. Do not pour cleaner into the throttle yourself. A strong smell of gasoline, fuel at the tailpipe or a stall is not a driveway job (our advice): pull over safely, switch the engine off and have it towed.

At the shop — say this: "Before injectors, can you run the maker's test on a cold start, with the misfire counts per cylinder or the fuel-rail pressure bleed-down, and show me the numbers?"

Route 4 · Air, sensors and wiring — a purge valve, a manifold, a harness; the 7 owner figures from these complaints run $400 to $1,200

What it is. Anything that changes the air, the fuel vapor or the signal the computer relies on in the first minute: the EVAP purge valve, an intake manifold, a PCV valve, a throttle body, a sensor, a harness. 47 complaints (3%) end here. The 7 owner figures from 6 of them (wiring harnesses, a rodent-chewed wire, a sensor, an intake manifold, an intake-side motor) run $400 to $1,200, median $900 (a small group).

What the documents say.

• 🟢 Ford Transit Connect 2.5L. 16-0163 lists P0316 as one of 40 codes, for the 2014-2016 Transit Connect 2.5L; if the engine harness is chafing on the transmission, the fix is "Repair wire chafe. Refer to the Wiring Diagram, Cell 5."
• 🟢 Nissan. The 2022 Frontier paper (NTB22-001): "The DTC only stores during a cold start." and "1. Confirm the current ECM part number. 2. Reprogram the ECM, if applicable. 3. Replace the intake manifold." The Altima paper (NTB18-018): "If the PCV valve is orange in color, replace it."

What the owners report. 27 complaints mention an EVAP purge valve, canister or EVAP code, mostly the Ford Focus and Escape, and 9 of them end here. A 2018 Focus owner reported that "after refueling the vehicle, the engine would shut off or idle roughly immediately after starting up." Another Focus owner's shop report lists "P0300 random misfire, P0316 misfire on startup, P1450 cannot bleed fuel tank vacuum" and suspects a sticking purge valve that can "pull raw fuel if the fuel level is high". None of the recalls in NHTSA's table (2010 to October 2026) mentions a start-up misfire. It does list purge-valve recalls for certain 2012-2018 Focus models (18V-735, 19V-515 and 26V-369), whose stated risk is a stall while driving, not a misfire, and the first one's remedy says "Until the vehicle is serviced for this concern, owners are advised to keep the fuel tank at least halfway full."

The cheap cause that gets skipped. When it happens. A misfire only after filling the tank points at the vapor system, as the Focus owner above describes; one that began after an engine repair points at the repair, not at a coil.

Fix it yourself. Write down what came just before: refueling, a recent repair. A chafed or chewed wire is a visual check with the engine off (our advice).

At the shop — say this: "It misfires only on the first start after fueling, or only in the cold. Can you check the purge valve and the fuel-tank vacuum, look at the wiring and the intake for leaks, and read the fuel trims before replacing a coil?"

Route 5 · Coolant in the cylinder and the engine inside — a pressure test first (up to 5 hours in Ford's papers); engine quotes run to $8,000 and more

What it is. Coolant or oil getting into a cylinder, or a part that loses sealing when cold: block porosity, a head gasket, valve guides, carbon on the valves, a lash adjuster. This is the largest group in the complaints: 850 of 1,602 (53%), and 82% of the 1,037 that name a cause; 605 mention coolant.

What the documents say.

• 🟢 Ford 1.5L Fusion and Escape. The 2016-2017 papers blamed a manifold bolt that damaged the charge air cooler (17-0028). From 2019, 19-2139 onward: "This may be due to coolant intrusion into the cylinder." The test is "pressurize the cooling system to 138 kPa (20 psi) and hold for 5 hours," then an inspection for coolant in the cylinders (the later 2.0L papers and the 21N12 program name a borescope; 21N12 holds the pressure for 2 hours); the repair is "remove the engine and replace the engine short block." Ford's owner letter (21N12) adds "could potentially lead to engine damage."
• 🟢 Ford 2.0L Edge, Escape, Fusion, MKC, MKZ. SSM 47204: "This may be due to coolant intrusion due to corrosion on the engine block." 22-2229 ends: "Remove the spark plugs. Using a borescope or equivalent, inspect and determine if coolant has entered the cylinders." and replaces the long block.
• 🟢 GM V6 engines. 18-NA-115: "A misfire on cold start up only and/or a rough idle with medium to high misfire counts, always occurring on one or two cylinders, with the condition going away after the engine warms up can be suspect for coolant entry at the liner to deck face casting." and, when coolant is traced to block porosity at the liner-to-deck interface, "If this condition is verified, the engine must be replaced." Jeep 2.0L turbo: 09-018-25: "Cold start the engine to verify that the engine runs rough Initially and then runs normally after 30 seconds of run time."
• 🟢 Valves, in the cold. Toyota's T-SB-0010-24 applies "upon cold soak start up with engine coolant temperatures between 14°F – 41°F" and replaces the exhaust-side lash adjusters only after compression, plugs, coils, injectors and fuel pass.

What the owners report. 580 of the 850 (68%) are Escape, Edge, Fusion, MKC or MKZ; 361 of all 1,602 mention a new engine or an engine replacement; 124 of the 157 that print P0316 are here. A 2017 Escape owner: "Ford dealer found codes PO302, PO316 and found coolant present in cylinder #2. Recommend to replace engine long block at the cost estimate of $8000.00." Only 107 of the 850 (13%) say the shake is only at start-up and clears when warm; most describe more than the shake.

The cheap cause that gets skipped. The pressure test and the borescope: our coolant leak guide prices an ordinary cooling-system pressure test at $60 to $150, against a median $8,000 for engine figures, mostly quotes. GM says small surface pitting on the deck is normal and no reason to replace an engine (porosity that opens a coolant leak path is a cause), and FCA wants the porosity inspection done before any cooling or engine part is replaced.

Fix it yourself. Only the watching, and only while no warning is on: mark the cold coolant level (top a first low reading up once, with the engine cold), check it each morning for a week and note white smoke or a sweet smell. If the level drops again after that top-up, stop driving and have the car towed (the rule at the top; our advice). Our coolant leak guide prices a combustion-gas block test kit at $10 to $50; a positive kit result is a reason to go to the shop, not a verdict.

At the shop — say this: "Please pressure test the cooling system the way the maker's bulletin describes, take the plugs out and look in every cylinder for coolant, and show me the pictures before you quote a short block or a long block."

The coverage file: which repairs may be covered, as of September 2026

The status is our computation from the printed terms, as of September 2026, not a promise from any maker. Most papers print no end date; the VIN decides. A bulletin by itself is not coverage.

Programs and updates are not in the safety-recall lookup, so the dealer, with your VIN and the bulletin number, is the lookup. Ford's coolant-intrusion file is in our head gasket guide; the wider misfire family is in the P0300 guide.

What 1,602 complaints show

Every complaint was sorted twice, independently, by the same written rules (the sorting rules, how we did it); the two first sortings matched on the cause in 92.6% of them and the rest were settled by a written rule; a final read of the full narratives then changed 135 categories, 104 of them into engine internals. 1,602 of the 1,801 describe a start-up misfire on the owner's car; 199 do not. Only 157 of the 1,602 print P0316, so every count below is "complaints describing this fault", not "P0316 complaints".

What the owners describe. 236 (15%) say the roughness is only or mainly at start-up and clears once the engine runs or warms; 349 (22%) describe a stall; 62 (4%) a flashing light; 357 (22%) mention a recall, bulletin, program or coverage notice for the fault; 305 (19%) say the fault came back.

Who files. Ford and Lincoln are 878 of 1,602 (55%); the Escape (316), Edge (221) and Fusion (130) alone are 667. Then Honda (110), Hyundai (70), Toyota (62), Chevrolet (60) and Kia (49): 39 makes in all. Among Ford and Lincoln, 74% end at engine internals and 19% state no diagnosis; among makes other than Ford and Lincoln, 28% and 45%. 829 of the 1,602 (52%) arrived in 2024 to early October 2026, which tells you when owners filed, not when cars failed. Of the 814 that give a mileage, the median is 76,150 miles.

The 157 that print the code are 144 Ford, 11 Lincoln, 1 Land Rover and 1 Volkswagen; 124 end at engine internals. They also print P0302 (58), P0301 (32), P0303 (30), P0304 (29), P0300 (26), P0217 (18), P1285 (12) and P1299 (10).

Can a start-up misfire be a harmless cold-engine habit, and how often does it end in an engine? PulsCar counted what 1,602 federal owner complaints say: 236 (15%) describe a shake that clears once the engine warms, 492 (31%) state no diagnosis, and 850 (53%) end at engine internals, 605 of them with coolant mentioned. Only 22 end at a coil or a plug. A harmless cold-engine habit exists, since GM calls one of them normal and Audi says "Do not repair" for another, but a misfire that clears when warm is also how coolant in a cylinder shows itself on GM and Stellantis engines. These are owners who wrote to NHTSA, so the shares are not failure rates. Check the coolant level cold, and ask for the freeze frame and the software level, before you decide which one you have.

When the engine dies or the light flashes: the safety side

Of the 349 stall complaints, 82 mention a highway, freeway or interstate and 39 say "without warning" or "no warning". 25 of the 62 flashing-light complaints also describe a stall. In NHTSA's own fields, 5 of the 1,602 are marked as a crash, 9 as a fire, 2 with an injury, none with a death, and 42 as towed. A 2018 Escape owner: "While accelerating onto a 70 mph highway via an on-ramp, my vehicle suddenly began to misfire severely, resulting in a dramatic loss of power." On the coolant side, 157 complaints (10%) mention overheating (another 157; 20 of them also print the code) and 18 print P0217, the over-temperature code Ford lists with coolant intrusion. No maker paper we read tells an owner to stop driving, so the towing advice here is ours; other maker papers print a stall, for example GM 20-NA-014 on a cold start (code P050D) and Land Rover Q057 (a fuel-flow restriction may cause rough running or a stall, with P0316 among the codes that may be stored).

What owners say they paid

296 figures in 238 of the 1,602 complaints are ones an owner tied to a repair or test for this fault: 38 amounts paid, 33 bills, 188 quotes and 37 whose status the narrative does not give. They are what owners wrote, not audited invoices; we publish them with NHTSA complaint numbers and list the 94 we left out with reasons. The ladder above carries the groups; two small ones: "other" (13 figures from complaints sorted to several groups, among them a control module and two turbos) runs $360 to $12,000, median $994, and the 7 of them from complaints that end at air, a sensor or wiring are in Route 4; "mixed" bundles of ignition, fuel and engine parts (9 figures) run $1,000 to $15,000, median $2,039.

Why a start-up misfire comes back after a repair

The part did not fix it: 208 complaints mention a plug or coil being replaced, changed or installed and 156 of them say the fault returned; the Escape owner in Route 2 had the plug swapped and found coolant in the cylinder the next day. Software did not hold: 9 of 13. It was intermittent and nothing was found: 13 of the 73 that were checked and cleared say it came back. The engine was replaced and it happened again: a 2018 Sportage owner wrote "same cylinder, same issue. now my car is back in the shop waiting for a new engine (#2)."

Can you drive with P0316?

It depends on the light, the coolant and whether the engine keeps running; this is our rule, not a maker's. Ford tells dealers to "Inform customers that they can continue to drive the vehicle" in its 1.5L cold-soak case (SSM 53293), but its own program letter warns that coolant in the cylinder bores "could potentially lead to engine damage." (21N12), and other maker papers also print a stall, for example GM's 20-NA-014 on a cold start (code P050D) and Land Rover's Q057 (a fuel-flow restriction may cause rough running or a stall, with P0316 among the codes that may be stored). A steady light, a shake that clears within a minute, coolant holding (a first low reading is topped up once, with the engine cold, and the level marked): drive normally to a shop within days and ask for the pressure test. A flashing check engine light, a temperature warning, a stall, an engine that will not hold idle, white smoke that stays thick, a sweet smell, a fuel smell or fuel at the tailpipe, or a coolant level that drops again after that one top-up: pull over safely, switch the engine off and have it towed; the only exception, for a flashing light alone on a car that starts and runs normally, is a shop within 2 to 3 miles, reached gently, under 40 mph with light throttle, with no temperature warning on and no fuel smell; never for a car that will not start.

Should you buy a used car with a P0316 or start-up misfire history?

Ask what was found, not what was replaced: 156 of the 208 complaints that mention a plug or coil being replaced, changed or installed say the fault came back. Ask for the invoice that names the test (pressure test, borescope, software level) and have a dealer run the VIN for programs. Check the coolant level cold, and watch a cold start yourself after the car sat overnight: a shake under a minute with steady coolant leans toward a software or fuel question, but it does not rule out coolant in a cylinder, so ask for the pressure test; coolant already below the mark is a reason to walk away or price an engine.

Clearing P0316 before an inspection

A cleared code returns if the cause is still there, and many inspections need the car's self-checks to have run again, so ask the station how many trips it needs; how to reset a check engine light covers the mechanics. Do not clear a code to hide a falling coolant level.

Three P0316 traps

Trap 1 · Buying a coil and plugs from the code. Only 22 of the 1,602 complaints end at a coil or a plug and 850 end at engine internals. Swap before you buy, and test the coolant before you trust a plug that "fixed" it.

Trap 2 · Topping up the coolant and driving on. Ford's letter says coolant intrusion into the cylinder bores can lead to coolant loss, excessive tailpipe smoke or a misfire light. A reservoir that drops again after one top-up is a test, not a chore: follow the rule above and do not drive it on.

Trap 3 · Taking "clears when warm" or "could not duplicate" as good news. 73 complaints end with a shop that checked and cleared the fault, and 13 say it came back. A cold-start misfire may need a cold car in the shop; ask them to leave it overnight.

Three composite scenarios

These are composite scenarios, not individual customers; the dollar figures come from this article. A 2024 Escape 1.5L sets P0300 and P0316 only on the first start after sitting overnight, with steady coolant: the owner asks the dealer to run the VIN for the 25-2133 update before agreeing to a coil at $150 to $400. A 2017 Escape has P0304 and P0316 and the coolant has dropped again after one top-up, so the car is towed to the dealer; a plug swap quiets cylinder 4 for a day: the owner asks for the pressure test at $60 to $150 and the borescope pictures before a long block, a figure owners put near $8,000. A 2018 Focus hesitates on the first start after refueling, with P1450 stored: the owner asks the dealer to check the purge-valve recalls on the VIN before paying for a coil.

The P0316 plan: 10 minutes, today, this week

Today (10 minutes). Write down how long the shake lasts, top a first low coolant reading up once with the engine cold, mark the level, and read the full code list with the freeze frame. Today (VIN). Ask a dealer for bulletins, programs and updates by number. This week. If the shake continues, pay for one diagnosis and ask for the software level, the pressure test and the borescope look, and a coil swap before any part. If the light is flashing, a temperature warning is on, the engine dies or will not hold idle, white smoke stays thick, there is a sweet or fuel smell, or the coolant drops again after one top-up, pull over safely, switch the engine off and have it towed; the only exception, for a flashing light alone on a car that starts and runs normally, is a shop within 2 to 3 miles, reached gently, under 40 mph with light throttle, with no temperature warning on and no fuel smell; never for a car that will not start.

What this page cannot tell you

The complaint file holds only cases where an owner wrote to NHTSA, in the owner's words, with nothing verified; owners whose trouble ended are mostly not in it. Only 157 of the 1,602 print P0316, so most were found by the owner's words, not by the code. A second search, made to catch what the first one missed, stopped when it reached its limit of 900 results, so some start-up misfire complaints with unusual wording are certainly missing. Most of the 850 engine-internals complaints were judged from the part of the narrative around the matching words and not re-read in full, so a different cause named later could be missed there. Complaints that describe a misfire only while driving were left out by rule. A few owners may have filed the same car twice; counts are of complaints, not cars, no failure rate can be computed, and 31% state no diagnosis, so the true split between coolant, ignition and fuel is unknown. A maker paper that is not in NHTSA's index is not here, Toyota and Lexus bulletins on a cold-start rough idle from a sticking EGR valve, which never say misfire, were left out, a paper about rough running with no misfire code and no start-up link was not used, and three papers on NHTSA's list have no file to read.

Sources and documents

Primary documents only. Claims marked 🟢 rest on one of the items below; claims marked ⚪ are shop-price estimates carried from PulsCar's repair guides. Links checked October 2026; dates are given in the text where the paper prints one.

1. Ford and Lincoln: 19-2243, 24-2191, SSM 53293, SSM 54504, 16-0150, 17-0028, 19-2139, 20-2100, 21-2269, 22-2134, 21N12, SSM 47204, 19-2208, 19-2346, 22-2229, 19-2384, 18-2270, 20-2324, 21-2085, 21-2131, 21-2225, 21-2346, 22-2185, 23-2314, 23-2275, 18-2058, 26-2011, 25-2293, 24-2319, OASIS item 45011, SSM 53417, 25-2133, SSM 54451, 26-2269, SSM 46907, 18-2093, SSM 49028, 21-2147, 23-2011, 20-2370, SSM 46539, 16-0163.
2. Land Rover and Jaguar: SSM73378, JTB00533NAS1, LTB00409NAS3, SSM63697, SSM71894, Q057.
3. Mazda: Mazda 01-005/20.
4. General Motors: PI1223, PIP5472, PIP5029G, PIP4959D, PIP4959G, PIP5498A, 18-NA-115, 20-NA-014.
5. Stellantis: 09-018-25, S2018000014, S2018000006.
6. Toyota, Subaru, Mitsubishi, Kia, Hyundai, Genesis, Nissan, Honda: Kia PS320, Toyota T-SB-0156-19, Subaru 11-193-19, Toyota T-SB-0147-16, Toyota T-SB-0010-24, Mitsubishi TSB-13-13-001, Kia FUE035, Genesis 914G, Nissan NTB18-018, Nissan NTB22-001, Honda 21-007.
7. BMW, Audi, Volkswagen, Porsche, Mercedes-Benz: Porsche 87/25, Mercedes-Benz LI07.70-P-080607, Audi 2028344/5, BMW SI B13 07 12, Audi 2034871/1, Volkswagen 01-23-11.
8. NHTSA recalls: 18V-735, 19V-515, 26V-369, 18V-636, 23V-564, 26V-493.

Data and sorting: complaints, amounts, figures left out, documents, the sorting rules and how we did it (CC BY 4.0).

Price guides: spark plugs, fuel injectors, head gasket, coolant leaks and diagnostics. Related: shaking at idle and the check engine light.

For a start-up misfire the evidence is the code list, the freeze frame, the coolant level and the software level; a code read alone is not a diagnosis.

Prices verified July to October 2026 in the repair guides they are carried from and in the owner reports above, and reviewed quarterly. Technical documents verified October 2026.

Did P0316 clear with software, a plug, a pressure test or a program? Email [email protected] with the vehicle, mileage and outcome.