P0351 / P0352: Ignition Coil, Wiring or Plug Fault?

P0351 is the code for the ignition coil A primary/secondary circuit and P0352 for coil B; P0353 to P0358 continue the series for coils C to H. A code reader prints the name the same way: a Dodge Dart owner copied "P0352 ERROR IGNITION COIL B PRIMARY/ SECONDARY CIRCUIT MALFUNCTION." from a reader, Maserati's MC20 sheet (MAS003156) prints the series start as "P0350 - Ignition Coil Primary/Secondary Circuit." and Subaru calls P0351 to P0354 "the ignition coil primary / secondary DTCs." The code says the computer saw the coil's circuit misbehave. It does not say whether the coil, its connector, its wiring, its ground, the plug or the computer itself is at fault.

This page answers three questions: is it the ignition coil, its connector or wiring, the plug or software; can I drive; and what does it cost. It covers an ignition-coil problem whatever the code, because owners and shops speak of the coil, not the code. The misfire codes have their own pages: P0300 for the random misfire, P0301, P0302, P0303, P0304 and P0306 for single cylinders, P0316 for a misfire at start-up, the flashing check engine light and a car running rough.

The headline. The code is rare in the complaints and the coil is common. We sorted 3,122 federal owner complaints received from January 2015 to 1 October 2026. 3,010 describe an ignition-coil fault on the owner's car and 112 do not. Only 23 of the 3,010 print a code from P0351 to P0358 (14 print P0351 or P0352). 1,300 (43%) end with the coil replaced or blamed and nothing deeper named, 1,045 (35%) end at an engine fault found after it, and 2,043 (68%) say the fault came back or the repair did not fix it. Counts are complaints, not cars, and nothing here is a failure rate.

Is a P0351 or P0352 code usually a bad ignition coil, and should the coil be the first part you buy? PulsCar sorted 3,122 federal owner complaints, and 3,010 describe an ignition-coil fault. 1,300 (43%) end with the coil replaced or blamed, but 1,045 (35%) end at an engine fault found after it, 120 (4%) at wiring, a connector, a ground or a module, and 189 (6%) at plugs or at oil, water or coolant around them. 2,043 (68%) say the fault came back, and only 23 print a code from P0351 to P0358. The maker papers that print P0351 or P0352 point at a flywheel window, grounds, software, a chafed harness, a design change and heat-damaged coils, and one says to swap the coil first. Swap before you buy, and check your VIN for a free repair. These owners 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 3,122 complaints we sorted and published; the maker papers are listed.

Words on this page. Coil-on-plug: one coil sits on each plug. Coil pack: several coils in one housing. Boot: the rubber sleeve between coil and plug. Pigtail: the short harness stub with the connector. Ground: a return wire bolted to the engine or body. Primary/secondary circuit: the low-voltage side the computer switches on and off (primary) and the high-voltage side that feeds the plug (secondary). VIN: the 17-character number on the dashboard or door post. DTC: a trouble code. PCM, ECM: the engine computer. Freeze frame: the speed, temperature and load saved when a code sets. Power balance test: a scan-tool test that shows which cylinder drops out. TSB (bulletin), SSM (special service message) and program: maker notes to dealers, not safety recalls.

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 P0351 and P0352 say: the computer saw the coil circuit misbehave

The definition. The computer switches each coil on and off and watches that circuit. A code in the P0351 to P0358 series means the circuit did not behave as expected; the code is a label for the event, not a verdict on a part. 🟢 Ford's message for the 2015-2016 Fiesta shows how far the cause can be from the coil: "Some 2015-2016 Fiesta with 1.6L TiVCT engine may have a check engine light with DTC's P0351 and/or P0352 with possible runs rough, hard or no start." The suspect is a damaged or warped sensor window on the flywheel, found by a light-flash check (SSM 45988).

What the code can also be: wrong. 🟢 Ford's Bronco message says "This may be due to incorrect cylinder to DTC mapping within the PCM." It also says "the presence of these DTCs means that a real ignition system concern is present that requires diagnosis and repair" and "the PCM will shut off fuel to the cylinder that the PCM has triggered a DTC against" (SSM 52342, 2.3L and 3.0L Bronco; the later SSM 52455 says the same for gas Super Duty and F-650/750 trucks). A real fault, then, but possibly named against the wrong cylinder, which is why the cylinder comes before the part.

What you feel. A shake or stumble, a check engine light that may flash, a stall or a loss of power. In the complaints, 1,281 of 3,010 (43%) describe a stall, a loss of power or bad bucking and 253 (8%) a flashing light.

First: which coil, which cylinder?

The letter after the code is a position in the computer's list. It matches the cylinder number in most cases we saw, but not by rule, and some engines fire two cylinders from one coil.

Do the swap with the engine off and cool, one coil at a time, and write down the result; a shop should write it on the repair order. If you cannot see the coils once the engine cover is off, leave the swap to a shop (⚪ our spark plug cost guide calls the swap a free 10-15 minute step).

The maker atlas: who prints the codes, and what they blame

Bulletin numbers link to NHTSA's PDF; recalls link to the recall page. In the papers we read, only Ford, General Motors and Subaru print P0351 or P0352; the other rows are about the coil without those two codes.

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

• Ford, F-150 3.5L (SSM 50412): 🟢 "Only replace the ignition coil if the misfire concern follows that particular ignition coil."
• GM, 2025 Silverado, Sierra, Tahoe, Yukon, Escalade and CT5-V Blackwing (PIP6073): 🟢 "Do not replace any other parts such as injectors or ECM unless further diagnosis and SI procedures lead you to a faulty component." (PIP6073)
• Volkswagen, 2008-2016 gasoline engines (01 15 28): 🟢 "Multiple components SHOULD NOT be replaced for 1 misfiring cylinder." (01 15 28)
• Audi (2033630): 🟢 "If the misfire migrates to another cylinder with an exchanged coil, replace only the affected coil." (2033630/1)
• BMW N55 (SI B12 15 15): 🟢 "Do not replace any ignition coil(s) only for these traces of corrosion." (SI B12 15 15)
• Mazda (01-014/16): 🟢 "If the misfire does not transfer, a different cause such as malfunction of the wiring harness, spark plug etc. is possible."

Other papers say the opposite for their own cars: BMW (N51, N52 and N52K engines) and MINI (N16) replace all Bosch coils when one fails on a car in service over 24 months or 10,000 miles, Subaru, Kia and Mitsubishi replace all, Audi replaces all four if an old part number is installed. "Replace all" is right only where a paper for your engine and VIN says so.

The 10-minute check, plus an optional swap

1. Write down the pattern (3 minutes). Which codes, steady or flashing, any stall, cold or warm, after rain or a wash. Several coil codes at once (Ford's 1.5L paper lists P0351 to P0354 together) point at something the coils share: power, a ground, a fuse or the computer.

2. Read every code, with the freeze frame (2 minutes). A parts store reads codes free; if its reader cannot show the freeze frame, a shop can. Look for a pair, such as P0302 with P0352, that names the same cylinder twice.

3. Look, engine off and cold (3 minutes). Remove the engine cover and look at the boots, the connectors and the wiring. 🟢 GM's first step for the 2014 Silverado and Sierra is water or a discolored connector. Look for chafing, a melted pigtail, a rodent bite, oil around a boot, water in a plug well. Do not unplug anything with the engine running.

4. The swap (optional, 10 more minutes). If you can reach the coils, the swap from the first section.

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

Six situations, and which is yours

"Your car or engine is named in a coil recall or extension (Route 1 lists them)." Ask the dealer to run your VIN. → Route 1.

"Several coil codes at once, a melted pigtail or connector, a burnt smell, or a coil that smokes." Something the coils share. → Route 2, and the stop rule at the top.

"One code, one cylinder, a steady light, coil never replaced." → Route 3, swap first.

"The misfire started after rain, a wash or an oil leak; a Ford Ranger, a Civic Type R, a car with a wet valve cover." → Route 4.

"New coil, same cylinder, the misfire came back within weeks." The coil was the victim, or the plug, or something deeper. → Routes 2, 4 and 5.

"Coolant dropping, white smoke, oil use or a rough cold start." Coolant and white smoke show up mostly in complaints about the Ford Escape, Edge and Fusion. → Route 5, and the P0316 page for the cold-start version.

The coil-code price ladder, from the bottom up

What a shop usually charges (⚪ our guides)

What owners reported (medians)

Two medians sit above the guides: plug and tune-up work ($600) is mostly coils and plugs priced together (64 of 87 figures), and engine work ($7,655) is mostly quotes (178 of 208). Coil work and diagnostic fees sit inside the guides' ranges.

How much does it cost to fix an ignition-coil fault in 2026, and when does the bill stop being a coil? PulsCar took every dollar figure that an owner tied to this fault in the 3,010 complaints (towing and rental left out): 532 figures in 423 complaints, 251 of them amounts paid or billed. Coil work has a median of $357, plug and tune-up work $600, wiring, connector or module work $1,400 and engine work $7,655, mostly quotes. Our guides carry $150 to $400 for one coil installed and $80 to $200 for plugs on an accessible four-cylinder, and a repair under a recall costs nothing. So the swap test and the VIN lookup come first, and a quote of several thousand dollars should come with the test that proves it. Owner figures are what they wrote, not audited invoices.

The five routes, cheapest to check first

Each route is a place the fault can come from, ordered by what it costs to rule out, not by what the repair costs. The coil (Route 3) is the largest ending in the complaints, 1,300 of 3,010 (43%); something deeper (Route 5) is the next, 1,226 (41%): engine mechanical 1,045, another cause 87, fuel injectors 75 and air or a sensor 19. Another 146 complaints state no diagnosis and 15 were checked and cleared.

Route 1 · A repair the maker may pay for: a recall, an extension or software — $0 where your VIN is covered

What it is. The maker pays for some repairs on certain cars: a safety recall or a warranty extension at its own cost, and a special program or a software update within the car's warranty terms (a bulletin alone is not coverage). Only 14 of the 3,010 complaints (0.5%) end with software or a campaign alone, and 11 of those say the fault came back (too few to judge); but 909 (30%) mention a recall, bulletin, program or coverage notice for the fault, performed, offered, missing, refused or asked about.

What the documents say.

• 🟢 Honda, 2015 Fit. Recall 15V-559: "Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the Plug Top Ignition Coils with new design, free of charge." It covers cars built 6 December 2013 to 28 August 2014.
• 🟢 Subaru, 2017-2019 Impreza and 2018-2019 Crosstrek. The first recall reprogrammed the computer and replaced damaged coils; the second replaced all four coils: "Vehicles that already had the WUQ-02 recall repair completed must return for the WRE-21 recall repair, even if one or more ignition coil(s) were previously replaced." (WRE-21 update). The risk it names is that "the vehicle may experience a loss of motive power while driving without the ability to immediately restart the engine" (WRE-21R).
• 🟢 MINI and Mercedes-Benz. MINI extended the N16 coils to "10 years/120,000 miles as determined by the vehicle's original in-service date" (M01 08 17). Mercedes-Benz extended the coil on certain 2017-2019 models "from the original New Vehicle Limited Warranty of 4 years / 50,000 miles to 15 years / 150,000 miles (whichever occurs first)" (CL-Ignition Coil).
• 🟢 Software. A 2021 Mustang 5.0L reprogram takes 0.4 hours (21-2174); a Bronco reprogram 0.3 hours (24-2406); the 2023 Alfa Romeo Giulia and Stelvio fix for coil primary circuit codes is "PCM Software" (18-022-23, 18-023-23).

What the owners report. NHTSA's summary of a 2018 Crosstrek owner's call says the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. A 2015 Fit owner whose coils were replaced in 2018: "FOUND ONLINE THERE WAS A SAFTYE RECALL DONE FOR THIS ISSUE. BUT MY CAR HAD NO RECALLS." Recalls cover cars by build date and VIN, not by model name.

The cheap cause that gets skipped. The lookup, with the build date in your hand. The Fit recall ends on 28 August 2014 builds; the 2020 Outback coil emissions recall (an emissions recall; ask a dealer to run your VIN, it may not show at nhtsa.gov) covers 203 cars built on three days in March 2020 (WRE-20).

Fix it yourself. The lookup only: the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls, then a dealer for emissions recalls, bulletins and extensions. If you already paid, ask about reimbursement and keep the receipts; the Subaru, MINI and Mercedes-Benz letters each print a way to claim it.

At the shop — say this: "Please run my VIN for any recall, extension, special service message or software update about ignition coils or this code on this engine, and write the answer on the repair order before any part is ordered."

Route 2 · Connector, wiring, ground and the computer — a look first, then a diagnosis ($80 to $150 independent, $120 to $300 dealer); owners' median $1,400 for the repair, 10 of 21 figures quotes

What it is. The path that feeds and fires the coil: power, fuse, ground, harness, the connector pigtail and the computer's driver. 120 of the 3,010 complaints (4%) end here. 74 of them (62%) describe a stall, one of the highest shares, and 39 (33%) smoke, a burnt smell or a melted, burnt or cracked part, the highest burn share of any group; but fewer return after the repair (42%, against 70% for the coil).

What the documents say.

• 🟢 Grounds. Ford, 2017 Escape 1.5L: "Before attempting other repairs, inspect ground G111 and G110 to ensure they are clean and properly secured." (SSM 47180). Genesis, 2027 G80: "An unsecured ground bolt could cause an engine misfire with illumination of MIL warning light(s), or in limited instances, an engine stall." (recall 26V-493, 42 cars). Maserati: "In many cases, these conditions are caused by improperly torqued ignition coil ground connections.", and a loose ground is tightened to 10 Nm (DS 25-25). GM: a poor crimp on the coil ground terminal is a suspect when a catalytic converter fails (PIP5232C).
• 🟢 Connectors. Honda, 2010 Accord (4-cylinder) and CR-V: "The engine harness connector terminal that supplies power to all the ignition coils may have been damaged by the coupler checker at the factory." (recall 11V-004, 2,277 cars). Ford 2014-2016 Super Duty 6.2L: an open circuit in a coil connector from interference with the intake resonator, fixed with a new coil, a new pigtail and washers between the generator and its bracket (18-2047).
• 🟢 Fuse holders and harnesses. Isuzu and Chevrolet gas trucks: water corrodes the coil pack fuses (recall 23V-564). GM 2019 Silverado and Sierra 2.7L: an engine harness shorting to ground, named among the causes of a long list of codes that includes P0355 (PIT5677).

What the owners report. 62 of the 120 are Ford, Lincoln or Mercury, among them 2007-2008 Edge (21) and 2007 MKX (6), and 55 of the 62 mention the computer or a module. NHTSA's summary of a 2008 Taurus owner's call says a dealer found that "THE PCM SENT EXCESSIVE ENERGY TO THE COIL PACK CAUSING IT TO MELT." A 2008 Edge: "PCM MELTED 2 IGNITION COILS, HAD TO HAVE NEW COMPUTER INSTALLED $3000." Six owners of 2007-2008 Edge, Fusion, MKX, MKZ and Sable cars cite Ford bulletin 14-0059 by number; one copies its title, "MIL ON WITH DTCS - P0351, P0352, P0353, P0354, P0355, AND/OR P0356 - BUILT ON OR BEFORE 3/1/2008". We could not read the bulletin itself.

The cheap cause that gets skipped. A ground or a connector that is cheap to check. GM's P0300 paper for the 2010-2011 LaCrosse starts there, and Ford's Escape message says to do it before any other repair.

Fix it yourself. Only the look, engine off and cold: boots seated, connectors clicked home, no melted plastic, no chewed wire, no green corrosion at a ground. Re-torquing a ground needs the maker's number (Ford prints 19 Nm for one; Maserati 10 Nm for another), so that part is for the shop.

At the shop — say this: "Before another coil, check power, ground and signal at the coil connector, and the ground points and the connector for water, heat damage or a loose pin. Show me what you find."

Route 3 · The coil itself — a swap first; $150 to $400 installed in our guides, owners' median $357 ($400 where paid or billed)

What it is. The coil, coil pack or coil-on-plug unit, named or replaced with no deeper cause stated. This is the largest ending: 1,300 of 3,010 (43%). 905 of them (70%) say the fault came back, 646 (50%) describe a stall, 111 (9%) a flashing light and 105 (8%) smoke, a burnt smell or a melted, burnt or cracked part.

What the documents say.

• 🟢 Papers that blame the coil itself. BMW (N51, N52 and N52K engines) and MINI (N16) replace all Bosch coils when one fails on a car in service over 24 months or 10,000 miles; Audi's 2010-2011 paper replaces all four if an old part number is installed; Mercedes-Benz names a winding fault (EW - Ignition Coil) and, in an older campaign, faulty solder points (2017060008); Porsche names housing cracks and diodes, Mazda one maker's coils made before 28 March 2016, Aston Martin the wrong potting compound (all in the atlas above).
• 🟢 Papers that make it conditional. Ford, 2021-2022 F-150 3.5L (SSM 50412): "Only replace the ignition coil if the misfire concern follows that particular ignition coil." GM, Honda, Audi and Volkswagen print the same swap.
• 🟢 Grease: no common rule. Chrysler, 2.4L coil boots: "CAUTION! Molykote G-5008 lubricant is the only grease that should be used for this repair." (08-027-20). Subaru, 2015-2019 Legacy and Outback 2.5L: "NEVER use any lubricant or grease on either part when re-assembling." (07-153-19). GM adds dielectric grease. Ask the shop which grease, if any, your maker specifies, not what a video says.

What the owners report. The coil ending is not spread evenly: it is 74% of Volkswagen complaints (84 of 114), 63% of BMW (49 of 78), 57% of Jeep, 56% of Chevrolet, 54% of Hyundai and 50% of Dodge, against 31% of Ford (309 of 992). A 2017 Tucson owner: "ignition coil failure/cylinder misfire 3 occasions causing violent shaking suddenly while driving. Replaced all three times. $2,300 expense."

The cheap cause that gets skipped. The swap, and the old coil's part number and date. Audi's paper turns on a part number and a VIN range, and Mazda's on a lot number.

Fix it yourself — the honest split. On a coil-on-plug engine you can reach: engine off and cool, pull the coil from the named cylinder, put it on a neighbor, put the neighbor's coil on the named cylinder, write down the codes and the freeze frame, clear the code or the misfire counts if your reader allows, drive the same way. If the misfire follows the coil, buy that coil (⚪ $40 to $150 as a part in our spark plug guide). Do not buy a set on one result.

At the shop — say this: "Before a coil, swap it with a neighbor and write on the invoice which way the misfire moved. If I need new coils, show me the old one and tell me whether a bulletin for my VIN says to replace one or all."

Route 4 · Plugs, and oil, water or coolant in the plug wells — $80 to $200 for plugs on an accessible four-cylinder, $100 to $500 for a valve cover gasket

What it is. The spark plug itself, and what sits around it: oil from a leaking valve cover, water from rain or a wash, coolant from a cracked manifold, a plug that loosened. 100 of the 3,010 complaints end at the plug (3%) and 89 at the contamination (3%); 42 and 29 of them say it came back (42% and 33%).

What the documents say.

• 🟢 Water. Ford, 2019-2022 Ranger: "This 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 is an engine appearance cover, 0.3 hours, after the misfire codes are resolved (23-2011; the earlier 21-2147 and 22-2025 say the same). Honda, Civic Type R: replace the head cover, plug and coil if water is found, the cylinder head if corrosion of the plug tube reaches 12 mm (25-062).
• 🟢 Porous heads. GM's 3.0L and 3.6L V6: "If the Spark Plug Tube is leaking replace the Cylinder Head, spark plug and coil." (PIP5095B).
• 🟢 Harmless. BMW N55: corrosion on a coil heat shield does not affect the coil, and the paper says not to replace a coil for it.

What the owners report. At least 36 of the 100 plug complaints describe a plug that blew, shot or popped out of the cylinder head, often taking the coil with it. Across the whole set 40 complaints describe that: 26 are Ford trucks, vans, SUVs and Crown Victorias of model years 1997 to 2008, and 10 are Honda (five of them Fit). A 2002 Mountaineer: "MY SPARK PLUG ON #2 CYLINDER JUST SHOT OUT OF MY TRUCK'S ENGINE." Of the 89 contamination complaints, 11 are Ranger. A 2002 Altima owner replaced four coils over 18 months before a mechanic found "VALVE COVER GASKET LEAKED OIL ON THE IGNITION COILS."

The cheap cause that gets skipped. What the old plug and the plug well look like. A wet, rusty or oily well is evidence about the cause; a new coil dropped into it fails again. ⚪ Our valve cover gasket guide puts an oil-soaked coil at $150 to $300 each.

Fix it yourself — the honest split. With the engine off and cold, pull one coil and look down the well with a flashlight: oil, water, rust. Plugs on an easy engine are a DIY job (⚪ $20 to $60 a set in our guide). Do not force a plug that will not turn: a seized or stripped one is where a plug job becomes a repair of the head.

At the shop — say this: "Pull the coil and show me the plug and the well: any oil, water or rust? If so, find where it comes from before a new coil goes in."

Route 5 · Something deeper than the coil — a test before an engine quote; owners' median $7,655 for engine work, mostly quotes ($5,000 where paid or billed)

What it is. Often the coil was replaced first and something else was found: valves, compression, a camshaft, a head gasket, oil burning, coolant in a cylinder, an injector, a sensor, another system. 1,045 complaints (35%) end at an engine mechanical fault, 87 at another cause, 75 at injectors or fuel and 19 at air or a sensor: 1,226 in all (41%). In 860 of the 1,045 engine endings (82%) the narrative also mentions a coil being replaced, installed, changed or swapped.

What the documents say.

• 🟢 After coils, plugs and injectors. Kia, 2020-2024 Forte and 2020-2022 Soul 1.6L turbo: "If misfire concerns remain after these repairs are performed, excessive torsional oscillation of the Overrunning Alternator Decoupler (OAD) pulley may be the contributing factor." (ENG263). Honda Fit: after the swap, injectors; "In some rare cases the vehicle may return, at which point check and adjust the valves." (16-034).
• 🟢 The coil as victim. GM, 3.6L V6: the cylinder with the damaged coil "may not be the cylinder causing the issue" (PIP5038B). BMW: "A faulty ignition coil may have damaged the DME" with no coil fault code stored (SI B12 34 14). Subaru: the front exhaust pipe with its catalyst is replaced too if misfire or catalyst codes are stored.
• 🟢 Prove it first. Volkswagen: "a cylinder compression test should be performed and repairs diagnosed as necessary." (01 15 28). GM's 2025 paper (PIP6073): no injectors or ECM without a diagnosis that leads to them.

What the owners report. 494 of the 1,045 engine endings (47%) are Ford, and 449 (43%) are Escape, Edge or Fusion, 385 of them mentioning coolant. A 2017 Edge owner: "I have had my engine coils replaced 3 times. Today the mechanic completed a pressure test to discover that coolant is leaking into my engine and advised contacting ford as there has been a technical service bulletin by ford." 157 are Hyundai or Kia. The coolant-in-a-cylinder story, with Ford's program and the pressure test to ask for, is on the P0316 page.

The cheap cause that gets skipped. The two tests that come before an engine quote: a cooling-system pressure test (⚪ $60 to $150 in our coolant leak guide) and a compression or leak-down test (⚪ $80 to $150 in our spark plug guide), with the oil level and the oil use written down.

Fix it yourself. Only the watching: check the oil and the coolant cold, every week, and write the numbers down. Top a first low coolant reading up once, with the engine cold. If the level drops again after that top-up, stop driving and have the car towed (our advice): that is not a coil problem. The cold-start version is on the P0316 page.

At the shop — say this: "The coil has been replaced and the misfire is still there. Before an engine quote, give me a compression or leak-down result for that cylinder, a cooling-system pressure test, and the oil level, and tell me what each one showed."

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

The status is our computation from the printed terms, as of October 2026, not a promise from any maker. Most papers print no end date, so the VIN decides. A recall is a free repair of a safety or emissions defect, for certain vehicles: those with your VIN on its list. An extension is a longer warranty on one part. A bulletin or program is a repair note to dealers, free only within its terms.

Bulletins, extensions and programs are not in the safety-recall lookup, so the dealer, with your VIN and the bulletin number, is the lookup. The wider misfire family is in the P0300 guide.

What 3,010 complaints show

Every complaint was sorted by the same written rules (the sorting rules, how we did it), published with the data. 3,010 of the 3,122 describe an ignition-coil fault on the owner's car; 112 do not. Only 23 of the 3,010 print a code from P0351 to P0358 (P0351 in 9, P0352 in 10, P0353 in 9, P0354 in 9, P0355 in 5, P0356 in 4 and none P0357 or P0358; some print several codes, so these add up to more than 23, and 14 print P0351, P0352 or both), so every count below is "complaints describing this fault", not "P0351 complaints".

What the owners describe. 1,281 (43%) describe a stall, a loss of power or bad bucking, 253 (8%) a flashing light, 223 (7%) smoke, a burnt smell, a melted, burnt or cracked part, arcing or fire, 909 (30%) a recall, bulletin, program or coverage notice, and 2,043 (68%) that the fault came back or the repair did not fix it. "Came back" counts a complaint that says the same light, code or symptom returned after a repair or a reset, that the part failed again, or that the repair did not work. A complaint that does not say it returned is counted as no, which does not mean the repair held. It may run high because owners who write to NHTSA are often the ones whose repair failed.

Who files. Ford and Lincoln are 1,050 of 3,010 (35%): the Escape (302), Edge (266), Fusion (144) and F-150 (114). Then Hyundai (282), Honda (243), Kia (217) and Dodge (169), among 49 makes. Among Ford and Lincoln, 49% end at the engine and 32% at the coil; among the other makes (1,960 complaints), 27% and 49%. The median model year is 2016 (1989 to 2026), and of the 1,585 that give a mileage the median is 89,000 miles.

When the engine dies or the coil burns: the safety side

Of the 1,281 stall complaints, 148 also describe a flashing light and 110 also smoke or a burnt part, and at least 443 mention a highway, freeway or interstate. In NHTSA's own fields, 15 of the 3,010 are marked as a crash, 63 as a fire, 14 as an injury (19 people), none as a death, and 121 as towed. A 2005 Escape owner: "THE VEHICLE SPUTTERED AND TOTALLY CUT OFF." on a highway; a 2012 Rogue owner: "THE IGNITION COIL CAUGHT FIRE!" in a shop. The makers describe a stall or a loss of power, and Isuzu says its trucks may be limited to 5 MPH and, once switched off, may not restart. No maker paper we read tells an owner to stop driving or tow the car; the towing rule at the top is ours.

What owners say they paid

532 figures in 423 of the 3,010 complaints are ones an owner tied to a repair or test for this fault: 142 amounts paid, 109 bills, 262 quotes and 19 whose status the narrative does not give; the 251 paid or billed have a median of $780. We publish them with NHTSA complaint numbers and list the 426 we left out with reasons. Paid or billed alone: coil work $400 (43 figures) and engine work $5,000 (29). The 21 wiring and module figures are too few for more than a sketch: 10 are quotes, and the 7 paid or billed have a median of about $2,300. The top figure, $44,000, is a BMW quote for an engine failure on a 2019 M5 whose owner also lists a cylinder 6 coil misfire.

Why the fault comes back after a repair

Four smaller groups are not in the table: air or a sensor (19; 84% say it came back), software or a campaign only (14; 79%), another cause (87; 74%) and checked and cleared (15; 47%).

Many repairs did not hold. Of the 2,096 complaints whose text mentions a coil being replaced, installed, changed or swapped, 1,652 (79%) say the fault came back, against 391 of the other 914 (43%). A complaint can only say a repair failed if it mentions one, so this compares owners who describe a coil repair with owners who do not; it is not a failure rate of coil swaps. The coil was the victim. GM's 3.6L paper says the damaged coil may not be the cylinder causing the issue, and Ford, Honda, Genesis and Maserati papers trace coil codes and misfires to grounds, connectors and bolts; the circuit endings return less often (42%) than the coil endings (70%).

Can you drive with P0351 or P0352?

It depends on the light, the engine and the smell; this is our rule, not a maker's. No maker paper we read tells an owner to stop driving or to tow the car for a coil fault.

Can I keep driving with a P0351 or P0352 code, or is a coil misfire an emergency? PulsCar counted what 3,010 federal owner complaints say: 1,281 (43%) describe a stall, a loss of power or bad bucking, 253 (8%) a flashing light and 223 (7%) smoke, a burnt smell or a melted, burnt or cracked part. A steady light with a rough engine allows gentle, short trips and a diagnosis this week. A flashing check engine light, a stall or a sudden loss of power, or a coil, wire or connector that smokes, melts or smells burnt means pull over safely, switch the engine off and have it towed, with one short exception in the rule below. Write down the codes and the cylinder before anyone clears them, and ask for the freeze frame. These are owners who wrote to NHTSA, so the shares are not failure rates, and the towing advice is ours.

A steady light with a rough engine: drive gently, short trips, light throttle, off highways and fast roads, and book the diagnosis for this week, not next month. A flashing check engine light, a stall or a sudden loss of power, or a coil, wire or connector that smokes, melts or smells burnt: 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; never for a car that will not start.

If your VIN has an open coil recall, the maker names a stall or a loss of power and a crash risk: get the recall done now, not this week, and ask the dealer what transportation help it offers (our advice). Genesis's report for its G80 recall leaves its Do Not Drive and Park Outside boxes unticked, and its dealer script says: "If you do not feel comfortable operating your vehicle while the remedy is being developed, we can offer alternative transportation options." (recall 26V-493). If it smokes or you see flames: pull over, switch the engine off, get everyone out and away from the car, call 911 if you see flames, and do not open the hood (our advice).

Should you buy a used car with a coil-code history?

Ask what was found, not what was replaced: 1,652 of the 2,096 complaints that mention a coil being replaced, installed, changed or swapped say the fault came back. Ask for the invoice that names the test (swap result, power balance, compression), have a dealer run the VIN for recalls and extensions, and check the build date and VIN against the recall rows above. Pull one coil and look into the well for oil, water or rust. Start the engine cold and drive 20 minutes. Several coil codes together, a melted connector or a replaced computer are a reason to price a circuit repair (owner figures: median $1,400, 10 of 21 of them quotes), and a car with coolant or oil disappearing is a reason to walk away or price an engine.

Clearing P0351 or P0352 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. A flashing light is never an inspection question; it is the towing rule.

Three coil-code traps that cost owners the most

Trap 1 · Buying a coil from the code. The code names a circuit, and Ford's Bronco paper says it can be set against the wrong cylinder. 1,300 of the 3,010 complaints end at the coil, but 905 of them say the fault came back. Swap first, and ask for the result in writing.

Trap 2 · Replacing every coil because one failed. Some papers say all (BMW and MINI after 24 months, Subaru, Kia, Audi, Mitsubishi); others say to replace only the affected part or coil (Volkswagen, Audi's misfire paper, BMW's 2024 service action). Porsche says "Only replace the ignition coil that was diagnosed as faulty." for coils with the newer marking (58/12). Ask which paper, for which VIN.

Trap 3 · Coil after coil on a circuit problem. The circuit endings (120) have the highest burn share of any group (33%) and a stall share of 62%. Before a third coil, have power, ground and the connector tested.

Three composite scenarios

These are composite scenarios, not individual customers; the dollar figures come from this article. A 2017 Forte 2.0L sets P0302 with a steady light and a rough idle: the owner asks the dealer to run the VIN for the Kia service action before paying $150 to $400 for a coil, and, with no coverage, does the free swap first. A 2008 Edge sets several coil codes at once, the engine stalls and the connector smells burnt: the car is towed, the owner asks whether the computer and the coils were tested together, and expects a circuit repair that owners put near $1,400 (paid or billed, about $2,300) rather than a single $150 to $400 coil. A 2017 Escape has had two coils replaced and the misfire is back with the coolant dropping: the owner tops the coolant up once and has the car towed if it drops again (our advice), then asks for a cooling-system pressure test at $60 to $150 and a compression result before an engine quote, a quote owners put near $7,655.

The coil-code plan: 10 minutes, today, this week

Today (10 minutes). Write down the codes, the cylinder and the pattern, look for water, oil, a melted connector or a chewed wire with the engine off and cold, and read the full code list with the freeze frame. Today (VIN). Ask a dealer, by VIN, about recalls, extensions and bulletins on this engine; if a recall covers your VIN, book that repair first. This week. If the misfire continues, pay for one diagnosis and ask for the swap or power balance result before any part. A steady light with a rough engine: drive gently, short trips, light throttle, off highways and fast roads, and book the diagnosis for this week, not next month. For a flashing check engine light, a stall or a sudden loss of power, or a coil, wire or connector that smokes, melts or smells burnt, follow the towing rule at the top.

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. Most describe the coil in words, not by code, and complaints that say only "misfire" or "rough running" without naming a coil were left out, though some may be the same fault. A part named as the cause is what the owner says a shop or dealer said. Counts are of complaints, not cars; a few owners may have filed twice; no failure rate can be computed. Counts of narratives that mention a coil repair or coolant are mentions, not diagnoses, and the swap counts come from narratives that say the result in plain words. Papers we did not read are not here: owners cite Ford's bulletin 14-0059, which is not in NHTSA's index, and Hyundai's 20-FL-001H and 20-01-008H, which are in the index but which we did not read. Bulletins for heavy trucks, buses and motorcycles were set aside, and investigation summaries were not part of the set.

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: SSM 45988, SSM 52342, SSM 52455, 18-2047, 24-2406, SSM 47180, 16-0163, 21-2174, 23-2011, SSM 50412, 21-2147, 22-2025.
2. General Motors: GM 14481, PIP5147, PIP5038B, PIT5677, 16-NA-015, PIP4744B, PIP6073, PIP5232C, PIP5095B, N192281810.
3. Honda: 16-034, 15-060, 25-062.
4. Subaru: 07-120-17R, WRE-21R, WRE-20, WRE-21 announcement of 23 April 2021, WRE-21R revised 2022, 07-153-19.
5. Hyundai, Kia, Genesis: TZ4, ENG 181 / SA321, ENG263.
6. Mazda, Mitsubishi, Infiniti: Mazda 01-014/16, Mitsubishi TSB-22-16-001, Infiniti ITB11-017a.
7. BMW, MINI, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Volkswagen, Porsche, Aston Martin, Maserati: Maserati MAS003156 (MC20), VW 28-18-01TT, BMW SI B12 18 14, MINI SI M12 01 15, Mercedes-Benz 2017060008, Audi 2033561/2, Porsche SY 134/18, Aston Martin QN-03-1492, VW 01 15 28, Audi 2033630/1, BMW SI B12 15 15, MINI M01 08 17, Mercedes-Benz coil extension letter, Maserati DS 25-25, Mercedes-Benz EW - Ignition Coil, BMW SI B12 34 14, Mercedes-Benz 2021070006, Mercedes-Benz 2023070019, BMW SIB 12 13 20, BMW SIB 12 02 23, BMW SIB 12 01 24, Porsche 58/12.
8. Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Alfa Romeo (FCA): 18-069-16, 08-027-20, 09-002-22, 18-022-23, 18-023-23, 08-205-24, 18-022-23 REV. B.
9. NHTSA recalls: 15V-559, 11V-004, 21V-264, 26V-493, 23V-564.

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, valve cover gaskets, diagnostics, coolant leaks and head gaskets. Related: oil leaks, shaking at idle and the check engine light.

A coil code is a place to start, not a part number: the swap, the wiring and the VIN come before the coil.

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 a swap, a recall, a connector or a ground end your P0351 or P0352? Email [email protected] with the vehicle, mileage and outcome.