P0340 Code in 2026: The Cam Sensor, the Wire Before It, and the Recalls That Stopped Short

P0340 is a code about a signal, and most of the money lost on it is lost by treating it as a code about a part.

The camshaft position sensor watches a toothed wheel or a notch on the camshaft and sends a pulse each time it passes. The engine computer compares those pulses with the crankshaft sensor's to work out which cylinder is on its compression stroke, which it needs to fire injectors in sequence, time the spark and run variable valve timing. P0340 — "Camshaft Position Sensor 'A' Circuit, Bank 1 or Single Sensor" — means the computer expected that signal and did not get a usable one. It does not say whether the sensor died, the wire to it broke, the connector corroded, the battery sagged during cranking, or the camshaft itself moved.

We searched NHTSA's complaint file — 780,071 complaints received from 2015 to September 2026 — for the camshaft sensor and its codes and found 889 complaints, 52 of which name P0340 itself. 305 of them use the word "stall"; in a random 50 we read in full, 46 were about the sensor or its circuit, and 22 of those 46 described the engine stopping while the car was moving — owners write "shut off," "died" and "cut off" as often as "stalled." And in 22 of the 46, a sensor was replaced or blamed and the trouble continued or was found somewhere else. Two groups stand out. 206 are Nissans and Infinitis, most of them early-2000s cars built around or after a 2003 recall that replaced these sensors on some cars and not on others. 74 are Jeep Patriots, Jeep Compasses and Dodge Journeys, 48 of them 2016 models, behind a recall that covered ten weeks of production — and NHTSA then spent nearly three years, from 2022 to 2025, looking at the cars it left out.

By the end you will know which of five routes your P0340 is on, what each costs in 2026, which recall or program applies, and the cheap cause that gets skipped when a sensor is quoted first.

Claims marked 🟢 rest on a recall, bulletin, program or investigation listed in the Sources section. Claims marked ⚪ are shop-price estimates carried from our repair guides. Owner-reported figures are what people told NHTSA, published with ODI numbers. The complaint set is a searched set: counts are pattern flags checked against the matched text, and the complaints quoted or counted by hand were read in full.

I built PulsCar after a $380 "full diagnostic" in Phuket in 2025 led to roughly $6,000 over six months across several shops, and the sound never went away (the story is on the About page). A code that says "sensor" in its name is the easiest one on which to sell the wrong part, so every claim below that rests on a document says which one.

A signal code, not a part code

Every route below is defined by where the signal was lost, not by the code. One rule overrides everything: P0340 names a circuit, and a circuit has five parts — power, ground, the wire, the connector and the sensor — plus the thing the sensor reads. A shop that checks the reference voltage, the ground and the signal at the connector knows in fifteen minutes whether the sensor is the problem. A shop that does not is replacing a $30-$100 part ⚪ and hoping.

Manufacturers see it the same way. 🟢 Toyota's tech tip T-TT-0010-10 says "Low battery voltage can contribute to a MIL 'ON' condition for P0335 (Crankshaft Position Sensor Circuit) and/or P0340 (Camshaft Position Sensor Circuit) due to inconsistent rotational speed of the engine's crankshaft." 🟢 GM's PIP5482 tells technicians facing P0335, P0340 or P0365 on 2016-2018 Encore, Trax and Malibu to "Perform the Battery Inspection / Test" first and to "make repairs or release the vehicle based on the results." And 🟢 Chrysler engineering asked dealers, before replacing a camshaft sensor for P0340, to "pull Freeze Frame and CamCrank Sync Event Monitor data" and send it in — engineering wanted the signal data behind the code, not just the old part.

First: is this really P0340? The camshaft and crankshaft codes side by side

What matters most here: P0340 alone points at the camshaft sensor's own circuit. P0340 with P0335 points at something both sensors share — the battery, a ground, a power feed, a harness — and on some Nissans and 2016 Jeeps, at a recall. P0340 with P0016, P0017 or P0011 points at timing, and replacing the sensor will not help. P0340 with many unrelated codes and a blown fuse points at a harness short.

How the computer uses the camshaft signal, and what happens when it is lost

The crankshaft sensor tells the computer how fast the engine is turning and where the pistons are. It cannot tell which of two revolutions a cylinder is on — compression or exhaust — because the crankshaft turns twice per cycle. The camshaft turns once, so its sensor settles the question. With both signals, the computer times each injector and each spark to its own cylinder, and on engines with variable valve timing, it measures how far each camshaft has been advanced or retarded.

When the camshaft signal disappears, engines behave differently. Many can run on the crankshaft signal alone, after a longer crank while the computer works out cylinder order by trial, with reduced power and the check engine light on. Some will not restart once stopped. And on some, the same electrical fault that took out the cam signal takes out the crank signal too, and the engine stops. 🟢 Chrysler's diesel recalls 20V-475 and 23V-411 use the same redundancy the other way round: when the crankshaft signal is lost to a delaminating tone wheel, updated software keeps the engine running "by reading the camshaft position signal."

Heat matters. Sensors and their solder joints expand with temperature, so a marginal sensor often works cold and fails hot, then works again once it cools. 🟢 Nissan's 2003 recall described exactly that mechanism: "solder deformation caused by heat stress." Owners in the federal file describe it as a car that dies once warm and restarts after sitting for twenty minutes to an hour.

The 10-minute P0340 check

1. Read every code, and write down whether P0335, P0016-P0019, P0341, P0344 or a string of unrelated codes is also stored.
2. Test the battery, or have it tested; many parts stores do it free. Note whether the starter turns slowly.
3. Find the camshaft sensor — the service manual or a parts catalog shows where — and look at its connector. Oil on or in it is a finding. Green or white crust is a finding.
4. Follow the harness from the sensor as far as you can see for rub marks, melted insulation or a wire pulled tight against a bracket.
5. Check the engine oil level and condition. Low oil matters to variable valve timing; milky oil on a hybrid that makes short trips matters to 🟢 Ford's bulletin below.
6. Note when it happens — cold starts, after the engine is hot, over bumps, after a jump start, after rain.
7. Run the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and on the manufacturer's owner site.
8. If the engine stalled on the road, do not drive it on a highway until someone has looked.

Eight P0340 situations, and which is yours

"A 2016 Journey, Compass or Patriot that stalls." Recall 16V-907, or its edges. Route 2, and the Jeep section.

"An early-2000s Altima, Maxima, Sentra, Murano, 350Z or G35 that stalls when hot." Nissan's 2003 recall and the cars it did not cover. Route 3, and the Nissan section.

"P0340 on a cold morning, slow cranking." The battery. Route 1.

"A Mercedes-Benz with oil on the cam sensor connector." Route 4, today.

"A Fusion Hybrid, MKZ Hybrid or C-Max driven short distances." Moisture in the oil. Route 4.

"A 2020 Escape Hybrid with 'Stop Safely Now.'" A Ford program. Route 2.

"P0340 with P0016 or P0017, or a rattle at start-up." Timing. Route 5.

"A new sensor, and the code is back." Route 1, then Route 5.

The P0340 price ladder, from the bottom up

Read it from the bottom up: the two most expensive rows are not sensor failures at all. What moves a car between rows is a battery test, a look at a connector, a VIN lookup and, when timing codes are present, a timing check.

How much does it cost to fix a P0340 code? Usually less than the first quote. Our repair guides carry $30 to $100 for a camshaft sensor part and $150 to $400 installed, and owners who reported sensor-only repairs to NHTSA name $80 in parts to about $700. In PulsCar's reading of the federal complaint file, the larger bills sit in two other places: Nissan and Infiniti owners outside the 2003 sensor recall paid $563 to $1,068 for crank and cam sensor sets, and Mercedes-Benz owners whose cam sensors leaked oil into the wiring were quoted $2,400 to $14,000 for harnesses and engine computers. A free battery test, a look at the connector and a VIN check come first, and timing work at $1,500 to $4,000 is only justified when timing codes or a measurement point there.

The P0340 number, by what you drive

Full tables: 889 complaints, flags · by model · recalls, programs, investigations and bulletins.

The five P0340 routes, cheapest first

Route 1 · Battery, connector and wiring — before any sensor — $0 to $350

The cheapest P0340 is not a camshaft sensor at all. The sensor needs a steady reference voltage, a clean ground and an unbroken signal wire, and the computer needs the engine to crank at an even speed to read it. A tired battery, a crusted connector or a harness rubbing on a bracket can each cut the signal, and none is fixed by a new sensor.

What the documents show. 🟢 Toyota's T-TT-0010-10 and Lexus's L-TT-0007-10 tie P0335 and P0340 to "Low battery voltage" and "inconsistent rotational speed of the engine's crankshaft." 🟢 GM's PIP5482, updated twice, sends technicians on 2016-2018 Encore, Trax and Malibu to the battery test before anything else for P0335, P0340 and P0365. 🟢 GM's PIP5335, revised four times through 2019 for 2014-2020 full-size trucks and SUVs, says that when P0340 and P0341 set "at times" and normal diagnostics do not isolate the fault, "inspect for corrosion in connector X154 or X159 (2015 only) located on the front cover next to the vacuum pump" — on 4.3L, 5.3L and 6.2L engines — and to "repair as needed." 🟢 PIP5553 and PIP5724 describe a jumper harness "chaffed at the bolt at the X154 connector" and "pintched between the X154 connector bracket and the front engine cover" on 2018-2020 V8s, with a possible crank-no-start or stall. 🟢 GM's PIT5677 series, for 2019-2021 Silverado and Sierra 1500, directs dealers "to inspect the engine harness for shorting" when a no-start or reduced power comes with blown fuses and a crowd of codes including P0340. And 🟢 Ford's SSM 50116 and 50245 describe a 2020-2021 Escape harness above the steering shaft u-joint that "may come in contact with the steering shaft," opening fuse 44 and taking out the sensors' reference voltage; "Rotation of the steering wheel may cause the short circuit," which is why it can come and go.

What the owners report. A 2016 Jeep Compass owner's first shop blamed the battery; a new one cost $183, and the car stalled again two days later on the freeway — the battery was a reasonable first check, but it was not the cause on that car. A 2016 Tacoma's dealer found rodents had chewed the camshaft sensor harness. A 2013 Malibu owner replaced both camshaft sensors for $117 and had the battery and alternator load-tested; the problem remained. Battery first, then wiring, then parts.

The cheap cause that gets skipped. The connector itself. Unplug it with the engine off, look for green or white corrosion, bent pins or oil, and reseat it until it clicks. It costs nothing and it is exactly what GM's PIP5335 tells technicians to look at.

Fix it yourself — the honest split. A battery test, a visual check of the connector and the harness, and a reseat are driveway jobs. Measuring reference voltage, ground and signal with a meter or oscilloscope is a shop job, and worth paying for before a second sensor.

At the shop — say this: "Before replacing the sensor, can you test the battery and check the reference voltage, ground and signal at the camshaft sensor connector, with a wiggle test on the harness? I'd like to know where the signal is lost."

Route 2 · Your VIN is on a recall, program or software update — $0

Four recalls we found involve the camshaft sensor or its signal, plus one Ford program and a handful of software bulletins. All of them were narrower than the model names suggest.

What the documents show. 🟢 16V-907, December 2016: 42,231 2016 Dodge Journey, Jeep Compass and Jeep Patriot vehicles "manufactured May 9, 2016, to July 15, 2016," whose "crankshaft or camshaft sensor may only work intermittently, causing the engine to stall." Dealers "will replace the crankshaft or camshaft sensor connector." 🟢 03V-455, November 2003: about 630,000 Nissan and Infiniti vehicles whose crank and cam sensor circuit boards "may have an improper solder joint," folding in an earlier campaign, 01V-357. 🟢 20V-475 (58,016 vehicles) and 23V-411 (80,629): 3.0L diesel Ram 1500 and Grand Cherokee whose crankshaft tone wheel may delaminate; the remedy updates software to keep the engine running on the camshaft signal. 🟢 Ford's customer satisfaction program 20B14 updated the engine computer on 2020 Escape Hybrids built from January 2019 to February 2020, when "Stop Safely Now" appeared with P0340 and P1A0C because of "crankshaft and camshaft signal quality during start up, resulting in incorrect synchronization"; the program was "in effect through April 30, 2021." It did not start smoothly: one owner in the federal file was told in late April 2020 that the update was "on indefinite hold" because it set power steering faults, and Ford's second supplement, dated 18 May 2020, added a new power steering module reset procedure and moved owner letters to that week. 🟢 Dodge's 18-010-13 reprograms 2011-2012 Challengers with MIL and P0340, and 🟢 Chrysler's 18-002-19 changed P0340 and related sensor codes on the 2017 Pacifica "from a one trip fault to a two trip fault" — a single glitch no longer lights the lamp.

The cheap cause that gets skipped. The build date. Every one of these covers a production window or a set of engines. A 2016 Compass built in August 2016 is not on 16V-907, and an owner in the federal file with exactly that car writes that the Jeep "was manufactured August 2016 directly after" the recall. Look up the VIN, and ask the dealer to print the result.

At the shop — say this: "Is this VIN open on 16V-907, 20V-475 or 23V-411, or on any program or software update for P0340? If an expired program would have covered it, I'd like to ask the manufacturer for goodwill in writing."

Route 3 · The sensor itself — and the pair that fails together — $30 to $1,100

When the circuit tests good up to the sensor and the signal is still missing or ragged, the sensor is the answer. On most engines it is one bolt and one connector, and ⚪ our no-start guide carries $30-$100 for the part, with ⚪ $150-$400 installed in our stalling guide.

What the documents show. 🟢 GM's PIP5099A tells technicians with intermittent P0340 on 2012-2013 trucks, SUVs, Camaros and Corvettes to "replace the cam position sensor if the vehicle build is Sept or Oct of 2012 and SI diagnostics does not lead to a resolution" — a build window, again. 🟢 Scion's S-SB-0033-13 for the 2013 FR-S blames cam position and misfire codes on "the camshaft position sensor clearance being out of specification" — a sensor that is fine but sits at the wrong distance from its target — and Subaru's bulletins for 2011-2013 FA and FB engines give inspection and repair procedures for the same codes.

What the owners report. Sensor-only bills in the federal file run from $80 in parts for a 2006 Maxima owner who did it at home to $650 for a 2005 G35 and a $700 quote on a 2013 BMW X3 — all with ODI numbers. Several owners describe a sensor that fixed the car for weeks: the Maxima owner writes it "fixed the problems for about 4 weeks," and a 2016 Altima owner that the P0340 was back two years after a replacement.

The cheap cause that gets skipped. The code's own address. On engines with two to four camshaft sensors, P0340 names bank 1 sensor "A" — usually the intake side — and P0345, P0365 and P0390 name the others. Ask which sensor the code names before all of them are replaced, and ask for an OE or recognized equivalent part; a replacement that fails within weeks is a reason to check the part as well as the wiring.

Fix it yourself — the honest split. On many four-cylinders the camshaft sensor is on top or at the end of the cylinder head and comes out with one bolt. On some V6s, one sensor is behind the intake or at the back of the engine. Do it yourself only after the circuit test, and with the battery disconnected.

At the shop — say this: "What did the signal look like at the sensor, and which sensor does the code name? Please use an OE or equivalent part and show me the old one."

Route 4 · Oil where it should not be — Mercedes-Benz wiring, Ford hybrids — $150 to $14,000

A camshaft sensor sits in the engine's oil-wetted head, sealed by an O-ring and its own body. When the seal inside fails, oil can travel up through the sensor and along the inside of the wire insulation — wicking — into the harness and, eventually, the engine computer.

What the owners report. Twenty of the 37 Mercedes-Benz complaints in our set describe oil reaching the harness or the engine computer, most on 2012-2016 models. A 2013 SL550 owner writes that the "Cam sensor seals failed which leaked oil into the wire harness, O2 sensors, and ECM," and that the repair was $10,217. A 2012 CLS550 owner was quoted $6,033, a 2012 E350 owner $6,500, and two 2014 GL450 owners $11,000 and $14,000. At the other end, a 2013 E350 owner whose cam sensors were wicking oil toward the engine computer paid about $2,400. We did not find a Mercedes-Benz bulletin naming P0340 in NHTSA's file, and none of these owners reports a recall or program.

What the documents show on hybrids. 🟢 Ford's SSM 48598, for 2013-2018 C-Max and 2013-2020 Fusion Hybrid and MKZ Hybrid, says P0340 and/or P0344 "may occur due to excessive moisture build up in the engine oil," which "occurs when the vehicle is driven short distances and/or less than 6,000 combined miles per year." The fix is to "replace the camshaft position sensor (CMP) and change the engine oil," and to advise "more frequent oil changes" and letting the engine reach operating temperature. A 2015 Fusion Hybrid owner in the file paid $190 for a diagnosis that could not reproduce a returning P0340.

The cheap cause that gets skipped. The connector, looked at early. Oil on the outside of a cam sensor connector on one of these engines is the cheapest moment the problem will ever have; the sensor is a small part, and the harness and computer are not. On a hybrid, the cheap cause is an oil change and a longer drive.

At the shop — say this: "Is there oil in the camshaft sensor connector or the harness? If so, how far has it travelled, and can we replace the sensor now before it reaches the engine computer?"

Route 5 · Timing — chains, phasers and tone wheels — $1,000 to $4,000 and more

The camshaft sensor reads where the camshaft is. If the camshaft is not where it should be — because a chain has stretched, a phaser is stuck or a target wheel has moved — the sensor can report faithfully and still set a code. This route is the expensive one, and it belongs last, after a measurement.

What the documents show. 🟢 Chrysler's parts service update 05048043AB for 2011-2017 Grand Cherokee, Durango and Pacifica 3.6L says that when an exhaust phaser is being replaced for P0340 or P0345, "Engineering is requesting that all three Valve Timing components (Phaser, Actuator, OCV) be replaced." 🟢 Porsche's bulletin for 2010-2012 Cayenne and Panamera lists P0340-P0349 among the codes stored "when a camshaft adjuster element fails." 🟢 Mazda's service alert SA-041-18, for 2018 CX-5 and Mazda6 models with cylinder deactivation, and its successor SA-022-19, take P0340 with P0304, P3400 and engine noise to the valvetrain: remove the cylinder head cover, "Inspect for fallen or broken rocker arm, especially in cylinder deactivation area (cylinders 1 and 4)," check the oil change records and call for engine replacement authorization. There, P0340 is a broken part inside the engine, and a sensor would be money thrown after it. And 🟢 the Ram and Grand Cherokee diesel recalls exist because a crankshaft tone wheel can delaminate.

What the owners report. Timing appears in 89 of the 889 complaints. A 2013 GMC Terrain owner was quoted $1,100-$1,500 for a chain and gears; a 2014 CR-V owner paid $2,600 for a stretched chain and variable timing actuator; a 2013 C250 owner replaced both cam sensors, saw the light return in two days, and was quoted $4,400 for a chain and tensioner; a 2020 Sierra 1500 owner paid $9,700 for failed timing chains at 71,000 miles; and a 2017 Equinox owner was quoted $12,000 for a broken chain and bent valves, with P0016 and P0017 stored.

The cheap cause that gets skipped. The oil. Variable valve timing runs on oil pressure, and ⚪ our timing chain guide puts a $50-$120 oil change and a check of the level ahead of any chain quote. A timing code on an engine a quart low is not yet a chain.

At the shop — say this: "Are timing codes stored with the P0340? What does the cam-crank correlation show, and has the oil level and pressure been checked? I'd like the measurement before a timing chain quote."

The 2016 Jeep and Dodge file: ten weeks of production, and the cars outside them

Seventy-four of the 889 complaints are Jeep Patriots, Jeep Compasses and Dodge Journeys, and 48 of those are 2016 models — 25 Patriots, 17 Compasses and 6 Journeys.

🟢 The recall. In December 2016, Chrysler recalled 42,231 of those three models built between 9 May and 15 July 2016, because the crankshaft or camshaft sensor "may only work intermittently, causing the engine to stall," and dealers replaced the sensor connector. That is ten weeks of a model year.

🟢 The recall query. Owners with the same models built outside the window kept writing to NHTSA. In July 2022 the agency opened recall query RQ22002 "to further assess the scope, frequency, and safety consequences of the alleged defect," after receiving 127 owner questionnaires alleging crankshaft or camshaft failures on vehicles not in the recall. It sent Chrysler two information requests, in 2022 and 2024, and closed the query on 16 June 2025. Its closing summary is unusually specific. It found "two failure modes": the faulty connector the recall fixed, which mostly caused a loss of motive power on the recalled cars, and "a faulty crankshaft and/or camshaft position sensor" on cars built earlier, which mostly caused "a MIL or no start condition." It records that Chrysler made "multiple corrective actions" in production, the last "a software update that occurred in February 2016," and that "For vehicles built prior to the software update, the sensor failures were normally covered under warranty." It concluded that the cars outside the recall "experience LOMP at much lower rates than the recalled population," closed the query without action, and added that closing it "does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist."

What the owners report. The complaints outside the window read like the recall notice. A 2016 Patriot owner paid $550 for a crankshaft sensor after being told the VIN was not included; another 2016 Patriot owner lists $1,082.07 in 2022 and $684.04 in 2024 and asks for $1,766.11 in reimbursement under the recall's logic. A 2016 Compass owner was quoted $200 to re-diagnose and $540 to repair. A 2017 Compass built in August 2016, just after the window, stalled on the highway and was still setting a camshaft sensor code after the owner replaced the sensor.

What to do with that. If your 2016 Journey, Compass or Patriot is on 16V-907, get it done. If it is not, three things help: keep every receipt, write to the manufacturer with the recall number and your repair order, and file your own complaint with NHTSA — the recall query exists because owners did. The query is closed, but it records that the agency "reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by future circumstances."

The Nissan file: a 2003 recall and the cars built after it

Two hundred and six of the 889 complaints are Nissans and Infinitis — Altimas, G35s, Maximas, Sentras, Muranos, 350Zs and I35s — and most of them are old cars. Eighty are 2003 models or earlier; 99 are 2004 to 2008; 27 are 2009 or later. They were filed from 2015 onward, which means many owners were still living with a sensor failure a decade or more after the car was built.

🟢 The recall. Nissan's 03V-455, filed in November 2003, covered about 630,000 vehicles whose crank and cam sensor circuit boards "may have an improper solder joint due to solder deformation caused by heat stress," which "could cause the 'service engine soon' warning light to come on, create a no start condition, cause reduced engine power, or cause the engine to stop running without warning during vehicle operation." Dealers replaced "the crank position sensors, camshaft position sensor(s), and in some cases, the variable timing control sensor(s)." It folded in an earlier campaign, 01V-357, whose replacement sensors were also affected. NHTSA's record lists models including the Altima, Maxima, Sentra, Murano, 350Z, G35, I35, M45 and Q45; the recall predates the 2010 file we query, so check the exact VIN rather than relying on the year.

What the owners report. The complaints divide into two kinds. Owners of cars inside the recall's years whose VINs were not listed — a 2003 350Z owner paid $618.61 for camshaft and crankshaft sensors with P0340 stored and writes that the car had "every symptom of a recalled car"; a 2003 G35 owner paid $621.86 and another $563.03. And owners of later cars — 2004 to 2008 Altimas, Maximas, G35s and Muranos — with the same symptoms and no recall at all: a 2006 Altima owner paid $800 for both sensors over two years, another was quoted $825, and a 2007 Murano owner paid $789 in labor for three cam sensors whose parts cost under $350. The descriptions are consistent with the recall's heat mechanism: a 2005 Altima owner blames "sensor getting hot," and many describe a stall once warm and a restart after the car sat.

What to do with that. On a 2004-2008 Nissan or Infiniti V6 or four-cylinder that stalls warm and restarts cold, the crank and cam sensors are a reasonable suspect once the battery and wiring check out — one case where the sensor itself is often the answer. Ask for OE parts, and ask the shop which sensors the codes actually name before replacing all of them.

What 889 complaints naming the camshaft sensor show

These are pattern flags, checked against the matched text; the set is searched, not read in full — the next section reads a random 50 of it. By make, Nissan leads with 138, then Chevrolet 108, Jeep 98, Ford 78, Infiniti 68, Kia 57, Hyundai 49, Dodge 46, GMC 41 and Mercedes-Benz 37. The file has not faded: 72 complaints arrived in 2025 and 61 in 2026 to 21 September. By model · all 889 with flags.

The safety language is about stalling. A 2012 Journey owner lost power "going uphill on a bridge" and coasted from 52 mph to a stop at its foot; the car restarted after 20 to 30 minutes and did the same the next day. A 2005 Altima owner "almost was rear ended." That is why every recall behind this code names the same consequence: an engine that stops while the car is moving.

50 of the 889, read in full

A search catches every complaint that mentions the sensor, including ones where it is named in passing, and a pattern cannot tell "the engine died" from "the engine didn't." To see what the set really holds, we drew 50 complaints at random and read each one in full.

The four set aside are a dealer's remark about a recall in a complaint about knocking and shifting, a list of other models' recalls, and two correlation codes where the sensor was named only as a possible cause. With 50 complaints, each share carries a margin of roughly 14 points either way, so read "22 of 46" as "about half." All 50, with ODI numbers and our reading.

Stalling is commoner than the word count. Only 305 of the 889 use the word "stall," but 297 say the engine "shut off," "died," "cut off," "quit" or lost power, and 212 of those never use the word stall. The narrow pattern says 34 percent and a broad one 58 percent; read in full, the sample lands at about half. A 2004 G35 owner's camshaft sensor failed twice; the second time, turning a corner, "without power steering or brakes I collided with the vehicle waiting at the light" — at 10 to 15 mph.

The sensor is often not the end of it. A 2002 Q45 owner with P0340 "changed it three times in the last week and it still shuts off." A 2024 Pathfinder owner replaced the sensor, kept the codes, and was then shown a timing chain reading. A 2021 Equinox went from a camshaft sensor diagnosis to a timing chain diagnosis to a failed engine at three different shops.

And sometimes it is the wire. A 2016 Tacoma's dealer found that rodents had "chewed on the camshaft sensor wiring harness" at 21,600 miles.

The sample supports the order of this guide — battery and wiring, then the VIN, then the sensor after a test, then timing — and it says the stall risk behind this code is real.

Which camshaft sensor is it? A, B, bank 1, bank 2

Many engines have more than one camshaft sensor — one per camshaft on engines with variable timing on both intake and exhaust, and on a V engine, one set per bank. The code tells you which, and the naming follows the SAE standard that defines these codes.

Bank 1 is the side that contains cylinder 1. On a four-cylinder there is only bank 1, so P0340 and P0365 are the intake and exhaust sensors of the same head. The manufacturer's service information shows the exact position, and on engines where one sensor sits at the front of the head and another behind the intake manifold, the difference is an hour of labor or more. Several owners in the federal file had every camshaft sensor on the engine replaced for one code; a 2007 Murano owner paid $789 in labor for three. Knowing which sensor the code names is the cheapest thing a shop can tell you.

Equinox and Terrain: the camshaft code that was an oil problem

Sixty-three of the 889 complaints are Chevrolet Equinoxes and GMC Terrains, most of them 2011-2013 models. Twenty-one mention oil consumption or low oil — quarts added between changes, dipsticks found dry — and 14 mention the timing chain.

The pattern in these complaints is that the camshaft code arrived as a messenger. A 2011 Equinox owner writes that the vehicle "burns excessive oil" and that the camshaft sensors have "already been replaced 3 times and the light won't go off." A 2013 Equinox owner, replacing a camshaft sensor for the second time, "noticed a large amount of oil in the sensor area," and concluded the sensor was not the issue. A 2013 Equinox owner was told the engine was "3.5 quarts low" with no low-oil warning, and the cam sensors were replaced. And a 2014 Terrain owner describes throttle, camshaft and crankshaft sensor codes, a no-start, and an engine that had locked up from low oil.

Variable valve timing runs on engine oil pressure, and a chain runs in it. An engine that is short of oil can set camshaft position and correlation codes long before it fails. Two owners in the set write that GM covered oil consumption repairs on some model years and not theirs; we did not verify the coverage terms, and the complaints are not a count of how often it happens.

The practical rule. On a 2010-2017 Equinox or Terrain with a camshaft code, check the oil level before anything else, and if it is low, ask how much it has been using. A sensor on an engine that is running low on oil is a repair to the wrong system.

Kia and Hyundai: when the camshaft code comes before the engine

One hundred and six of the 889 complaints are Kias and Hyundais — the Sorento, Soul, Elantra, Sonata and Tucson lead — and 57 of them mention an engine replacement, a new engine or a seized engine. That is a pattern flag, not a reading of each case, but the complaints that name both are specific.

A 2015 Sorento owner writes that the dealer "keeps saying camshaft sensor but yet they have replaced it three times in the past 2 months," and that the engine stalled on the highway with a semi-truck behind. A 2016 Sorento owner found "no oil on the dipstick" at a routine change, with an intake camshaft sensor code, revving in park and a stall crossing a busy highway. A 2018 Soul owner writes that a camshaft sensor code came on months before a camshaft bolt broke and destroyed the engine, and that the sensor replacement had "worked fine until recently."

Hyundai and Kia have issued engine recalls and extended warranties for several of these engine families, and our Hyundai and Kia engine knocking guide sets out which cover which. The practical rule: on a Kia or Hyundai with a camshaft code and any sign of oil consumption, knocking or stalling, run the VIN for engine campaigns before paying for a sensor, and keep every oil change receipt.

The diesel exception: when the camshaft sensor is the backup

On most engines, the camshaft signal helps the crankshaft signal. On the 3.0L diesel in the Ram 1500 and Jeep Grand Cherokee, the recalls made it the fallback.

🟢 Chrysler's 20V-475, August 2020, covered 58,016 2014-2018 Ram 1500 and 2014-2016 Grand Cherokee diesels whose "crankshaft position sensor tone wheel may delaminate causing the engine to lose its ability to synchronize the fuel injector pulses and cam shaft timing, possibly resulting in an engine stall." The remedy did not replace the tone wheel; it updated the engine computer "to maintain vehicle propulsion by reading the camshaft position signal in the event that the crankshaft position signal is lost." 🟢 23V-411, June 2023, extended the same remedy to 80,629 2014-2019 Ram 1500 and 2014-2020 Grand Cherokee diesels.

What the owners report. A 2014 Ram 1500 owner writes that recall 66A — Chrysler's number for 23V-411 — "was supposed to allow the vehicle to use the signal from the camshaft positioning sensor," that it was completed, and that the tone ring still failed in January 2026 and left the truck without propulsion; the repair was quoted at $1,700, and the owner was told "the recall period is expired." Another 2014 Ram owner paid for a camshaft position sensor in December 2018 and was "unable to obtain reimbursement" despite the recall.

The practical rule. On these diesels, the camshaft sensor is now part of what keeps the truck moving after a tone wheel failure. A camshaft code on one of them is not a code to live with, and a tone wheel failure after the software update is worth a written complaint to the manufacturer and to NHTSA.

What owners say they paid, by lane

We pulled all 197 dollar figures in the 889 complaints and read each in context. Thirty-five belong to this code's repairs; the rest were engines, transmissions, loans, tows, diagnostics and unrelated work.

These are owners' reports, not invoices, and complaints over-represent bad outcomes. All 35, with ODI numbers.

Why P0340 comes back after a new sensor

A recurring disappointment in the file is a sensor replaced and the code returned. There are four usual reasons, and each has a different answer.

The signal was lost before the sensor. A corroded connector, a chafed harness, a weak battery or a reference-voltage short. A new sensor plugged into the same fault reports the same fault.

The sensor was reading correctly. On an engine with stretched timing or a stuck phaser, the camshaft is where the sensor says it is — just not where it should be.

Oil is still getting in. On engines where the sensor wicks oil, a new sensor on an oil-soaked harness is a short-lived repair.

The wrong sensor. Engines with several cam sensors have codes for each, and the one replaced may not be the one named.

Why does P0340 come back after replacing the camshaft sensor? Often because the sensor was not what failed. P0340 reports a missing signal, and the signal can be lost in the battery, ground, connector or harness before it reaches the computer, or the sensor can be faithfully reading a camshaft that has moved. In PulsCar's hand reading of a random 50 of the 889 federal complaints naming the camshaft sensor or its codes, 22 of the 46 about the sensor describe it being replaced or blamed while the trouble continued or turned out to be elsewhere, 14 of them in the timing or the engine itself. The manufacturers' documents point the same way: Toyota and GM tie P0340 to low battery voltage, GM sends technicians to corrosion in connector X154, and Chrysler engineering asked for cam-crank sync data before a sensor was replaced. Ask for a circuit test and a cam-crank correlation check before a second sensor.

Can you drive with P0340?

Sometimes, briefly, and it depends on what the engine is doing.

P0340 with the engine running normally. Many engines keep running on the crankshaft signal. Drive only as needed, and get the battery and connector checked within days.

P0340 with long cranking, hesitation or reduced power. The computer is running on a fallback. Avoid highways and heavy traffic.

P0340 after a stall, or with P0335. Do not drive it on a highway until the cause is found. The same fault can stop the engine again, and on some cars, without the camshaft signal it will not restart.

P0340 on a 2016 Journey, Compass or Patriot. Run the VIN for 16V-907 before driving far.

Can you drive with a P0340 code, and how far? Only carefully, and not on the highway if the car has stalled. Many engines can run on the crankshaft signal alone, with longer cranking and less power, but the fault that cut the camshaft signal — a battery, connector, harness or sensor — can cut the engine too. In PulsCar's reading of a random 50 of the 889 federal complaints that name the camshaft sensor or its codes, 22 of the 46 about the sensor describe the engine stopping while the car was moving, and recalls 03V-455, 16V-907, 20V-475 and 23V-411 all describe an engine that can stop while driving. If P0340 comes with a stall, extended cranking or P0335 stored alongside, keep the car off highways and out of heavy traffic, test the battery, check the sensor connector for corrosion or oil, and run the VIN before buying any parts.

Should you buy a used car with a P0340 history?

Usually yes, if the cause was found and fixed. Ask for the repair order: a battery, a connector, a harness repair or a recall with a completion record is a closed case; a sensor replaced twice is an open one. On a 2016 Journey, Compass or Patriot, confirm 16V-907 was done if the VIN is listed. On a Mercedes-Benz, look at the camshaft sensor connectors for oil before buying — oil there is a future bill. On a 3.0L diesel Ram 1500 or Grand Cherokee, confirm 20V-475 and 23V-411. And on any car with P0016 or P0017 in its history, listen to a cold start for a chain rattle and ask whether the timing was measured.

Clearing P0340 before an inspection

Clearing the code resets the readiness monitors, and an inspection station will see an incomplete system or, if the fault is real, the code again. On an intermittent circuit fault, the code can take several drive cycles to return, which is exactly why clearing it is not a fix. Repair the circuit or the part, drive a mix of city and highway until the monitors report ready, and keep the repair order. 🟢 On the 2017 Pacifica, Chrysler's 18-002-19 changed P0340 to a two-trip fault, so a single glitch on the way to the station no longer lights the lamp — but a real fault still will.

What a shop actually does with a P0340, checkpoint by checkpoint

1. Reads every code and the freeze-frame data, noting P0335, P0341, P0344 and timing codes.
2. Checks recalls, programs and bulletins on the VIN.
3. Tests the battery and the starting system.
4. Inspects the camshaft sensor connector for corrosion, bent pins and oil.
5. Measures reference voltage, ground and signal at the connector, with a wiggle test on the harness.
6. Looks at the signal on a scope or the scan tool's sync data, where available.
7. Checks cam-crank correlation when timing codes are present, and the oil level and condition.
8. Replaces the sensor the code names, with an OE or equivalent part, only after the circuit tests good.

Three P0340 traps that cost owners the most

Trap 1: the second sensor. A code that returns after a new sensor is pointing at the circuit or the timing. Lesson: after one sensor, test the wiring before buying another.

Trap 2: the model year instead of the VIN. Every recall behind this code covered a build window or a set of engines. Lesson: look up the VIN, print the result, and keep receipts if it is not listed.

Trap 3: the oily connector left for later. On engines where sensors wick oil, the sensor is cheap and the harness and computer are not. Lesson: oil at the connector is today's job.

Three P0340 quotes, decoded

These are composite scenarios, not individual customers: each combines details that come up repeatedly in owner reports and shop quotes.

Scenario 1: 2016 Jeep Patriot, 71,000 miles, stall at 45 mph, P0340 and P0335, quote $640 for both sensors. The owner runs the VIN: built in June 2016, it is open on 16V-907. The dealer replaces the connector under the recall, and the stalling stops. Lesson: the VIN comes before the quote.

Scenario 2: 2017 Buick Encore, 88,000 miles, P0340 on cold mornings, second sensor quoted at $260. A different shop tests the battery first; it fails a load test. A $190 battery ends the code. Lesson: a weak battery can set a camshaft code, and the manufacturers say so.

Scenario 3: 2013 Mercedes-Benz E350, 92,000 miles, misfire, P0340, oil found in the cam sensor connector. The shop checks how far the oil has travelled: it has not reached the engine computer. The sensors and the affected section of harness are replaced for about $1,300. Lesson: caught early, oil in the wiring is a sensor job; caught late, it is a computer.

The P0340 plan: 10 minutes, today, this week

In the next 10 minutes: read every code, note whether P0335 or a timing code is with it, look at the sensor connector for oil or corrosion, and do not drive on a highway if the car has stalled.

Today: test the battery; run the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and on the manufacturer's site; on a 2016 Journey, Compass or Patriot, check 16V-907 specifically.

This week: have the circuit tested at the connector before any sensor is replaced; if timing codes are present, have the cam-crank correlation and the oil checked before a timing quote. If your VIN is outside a recall that matches your symptoms, write to the manufacturer and file your own NHTSA complaint.

If you are not sure whether a rattle or tick you hear at start-up is related, PulsCar's free sound check screens a 30-second recording of your engine. It does not read codes; it is a second opinion on what the engine sounds like.

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. NHTSA recall 16V-907 (FCA number S89): 42,231 2016 Dodge Journey, Jeep Compass and Jeep Patriot built 9 May to 15 July 2016; crankshaft or camshaft sensor connector.
2. NHTSA recall query RQ22002: opened 22 July 2022, closed 16 June 2025; 127 owner questionnaires; two failure modes; closing resume.
3. NHTSA recall 03V-455 (Nissan R3021 and R3022 as owners cite them): about 630,000 Nissan and Infiniti vehicles; crank and cam sensor solder joints; includes campaign 01V-357.
4. NHTSA recalls 20V-475 and 23V-411 (FCA W58 and 66A): 3.0L diesel Ram 1500 and Jeep Grand Cherokee; crankshaft tone wheel; software to run on the camshaft signal.
5. Ford Customer Satisfaction Program 20B14 and its Supplement 2 (2020 Escape Hybrid; NHTSA documents 10174383, 10176006), SSM 48598 (hybrid moisture in oil; 10171962), SSM 50116 and 50245 (2020-2021 Escape harness).
6. Toyota T-TT-0010-10 and Lexus L-TT-0007-10 (low battery voltage and P0335/P0340).
7. GM PIP5482, PIP5482A, PIP5482B (battery first), PIE0416, PIP5099 and PIP5099A, PIP5335 to PIP5335D (connector X154 or X159; NHTSA document 10168958), PIP5553, PIP5553A and PIP5724 (jumper harness at X154), PIT5677 to PIT5677E (engine harness).
8. Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram: 18-010-13 (Challenger), 18-002-19 (Pacifica two-trip change), parts service updates 05048043AB (phaser, actuator, OCV) and 05149141A and 68080819A (cam-crank sync data), and flash bulletins for the Renegade, Compass, Wrangler, ProMaster and ProMaster City.
9. Subaru 11-100-11R, 11-122-12, 11-124-12R, 11-130-13R and Scion S-SB-0033-13 (FA and FB engines; sensor clearance). Mazda SA-041-18 and SA-022-19. Porsche camshaft adjuster bulletin for Cayenne and Panamera.
10. PulsCar analysis of NHTSA public data, September 2026: 889 complaints naming the camshaft sensor or its codes, 35 owner-reported amounts, recalls, programs and bulletins. Data and method.

For the neighboring codes and symptoms: P0016 cam-crank correlation, P0011 cam timing, P0300 misfires, car starts then dies, car cranks but won't start, car stalls while driving, timing chain replacement cost and the code index. For the cars: Altima, Equinox, Grand Cherokee and Ram 1500.

Methodology. The complaint set comes from a case-insensitive search of NHTSA's public complaint file for the camshaft sensor and codes P0340, P0341, P0344 and P0345; it is a searched set, and flags such as "mentions a stall" are computed by pattern and checked against the matched text. A random sample of 50, drawn with a fixed seed, was read in full to measure what the pattern misses; its results are published separately. The Nissan, Jeep, Dodge and Mercedes-Benz complaints quoted or counted here, and every dollar figure, were read in full. Recall searches cover NHTSA's recall file from 2010; recall 03V-455 comes from NHTSA's recall record. Price ranges marked ⚪ are US estimates carried from our repair guides. Owner figures are published with ODI numbers; they are not invoices. Nothing here is a failure rate.

Prices verified July to September 2026 in the repair guides they are carried from, and reviewed quarterly — nothing on this page was re-priced this pass, because the estimator pages we would use refused automated checks in September 2026. Technical documents verified September 2026: Ford program 20B14 and its Supplement 2, Ford SSM 48598 and SSM 50245, GM PIP5335D, Chrysler 18-002-19 and Mazda SA-041-18 were downloaded from static.nhtsa.gov and read in full on 24 September 2026, as was the closing resume of recall query RQ22002; the recall records and the remaining bulletins were read in NHTSA's published text the same day, when the complaint, recall and bulletin files behind our analysis were also queried.

Had a P0340 fixed by a connector, a battery or a recall — or refused one? Email [email protected] with the vehicle, mileage and outcome.