PULSCAR SORTING RULES - P0017, P0012 AND P0018 (CRANKSHAFT TO CAMSHAFT CORRELATION, CAM TIMING, CAM PHASER AND TIMING CHAIN) IN NHTSA COMPLAINTS, 2015 TO 4 OCTOBER 2026
Published alongside https://www.pulscar.io/blog/p0017-code . License: CC BY 4.0.

The rules below were written before any complaint was sorted, dated and fingerprinted:
2026-10-08T13:00:22Z  427f99aad801943c611d0f5e27b20acdd5afd174cb673aba5c0783b2cb368a17  first batch rules (UTC time of the fingerprint, then the checksum of the file as written)
The addendum for the second batch (complaints found by the completeness check) was written before any complaint of that batch was sorted and fingerprinted the same way:
2026-10-08T14:38:34Z  bacdccb91a58cee109c306d3118340ed99c19cae046c18db9019a897af0cc63d  second batch addendum

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# Sorting rules - first batch

Written before any complaint in the set was sorted.

## Pool (how the complaints were found)
NHTSA complaints received 2015-01-01 to 2026-10-04 (782,908 narratives; 2026-10-04 is the latest received
date in the flat files). A complaint is in the pool if its narrative matches any of the following case-insensitive
text searches (R2, R3 and R4 also need their context words somewhere in the same narrative):

1. R1 - a camshaft-timing family code by any spelling (letter O for zero, a space, hyphen or period after the P, suffix 00): P0011 P0012 P0013 P0014 P0015 P0016 P0017 P0018 P0019 P0021 P0022 P0024 P0025, or a bare number after a code word:
   `(?<![A-Z0-9])P\s?[-.]?\s?[0O]\s?(?:011|012|013|014|015|016|017|018|019|021|022|024|025)(?:\s?[-:]?\s?[0O]{2})?(?![0-9])`
   `\b(?:code|codes|dtc|dtcs|error|cel|coded|fault)\W{0,6}#?\s?[0O]?(?:011|012|013|014|015|016|017|018|019|021|022|024|025)\b`
2. R2 - the timing chain in owners' words: `timing[\s-]*chain|chain[\s-]*(?:stretch|tensioner|guide|slack)|(?:stretched|stretching)\s+(?:the\s+)?chain`
   together with: `check\s+engine|engine\s+light|\bcel\b|\bmil\b|\bcode|\bdtc|rattl|stretch|jump|skip|phaser|\bvvt|cam(?:shaft)?\s+(?:timing|position)|correlation|out of time|timing is off|retard|advance`
3. R3 - the cam phaser / variable valve timing hardware in owners' words: `\bphasers?\b|\bvvt\b|vvt-?i\b|variable\s+(?:valve\s+)?(?:cam|timing)|\bvct\b|cam\s*(?:shaft)?\s*(?:position\s+)?(?:actuator|adjuster)|oil\s+control\s+valve|\bocv\b|vanos|valve\s+timing|cam\s+timing|camshaft\s+timing`
   together with: `check\s+engine|engine\s+light|\bcel\b|\bmil\b|\bcode|\bdtc|rattl|knock|stall|misfire|rough|limp|stretch|chain`
4. R4 - the word `correlation` together with `crank|cam|timing|code|dtc|p0`.

Background for the reader (not a sorting rule): P0016 / P0017 compare the crankshaft and camshaft position signals
(P0016 bank 1 sensor A, P0017 bank 1 sensor B, P0018 bank 2 sensor A, P0019 bank 2 sensor B); P0011 / P0012 / P0021 /
P0022 are intake camshaft timing over-advanced / over-retarded (bank 1 / bank 2); P0013 / P0014 / P0015 are the exhaust
camshaft (actuator circuit / over-advanced / over-retarded); P0024 / P0025 are the bank 2 exhaust camshaft codes. The cam
phaser is the oil-pressure-driven part that turns the camshaft against the chain; the oil control valve (OCV, VVT
solenoid) feeds it; the timing chain, tensioner and guides carry the engine's valve timing. Owners say "timing chain",
"cam phaser", "VVT", "rattle on cold start", "engine light with timing code".

For each complaint record exactly one CATEGORY and five yes/no FLAGS. You see an excerpt around the matching words
(and the whole narrative when nothing matched). Sort what the excerpt supports; if it is cut off at a point that
matters, sort what is stated.

## RELEVANCE
N - Not a camshaft-timing / timing-chain / cam-phaser event on THIS vehicle. Use N when:
    - the match is false (the words appear in a list of unrelated parts, a different code, a different make, a
      motorcycle or heavy truck is irrelevant only if the narrative is not about a car/pickup/SUV);
    - "chain" or "tensioner" is something else (tow chain, drive chain, serpentine-belt tensioner, door chain) or the
      narrative is only about a timing BELT with no cam-timing code, no phaser and no VVT part;
    - the narrative only lists the words among many other complaints, with no statement that this vehicle had a
      timing-chain, phaser, VVT, cam-timing or crank/cam-correlation fault, warning, noise or repair;
    - the words come from another vehicle, a news story or advice, not this vehicle.
    NOT N (relevant) when, on this vehicle: a family code (P0011-P0025 list above) is named; OR a timing chain is
    described as stretched, jumped, skipped, noisy, failed, diagnosed or replaced; OR a cam phaser, VVT/VANOS unit,
    camshaft adjuster/actuator, oil control valve or VVT solenoid is described as failed, noisy, replaced or blamed;
    OR a "rattle on start-up" or a cam-timing warning is tied by the owner or a shop to the timing chain/phaser.

## CATEGORY (one letter) - what was found or done, on this vehicle

T - Timing chain set. The timing chain, its tensioner, guides, sprockets/gears (or a timing belt set on a belt
    engine that threw a cam-timing code) was named as the cause, or was replaced/repaired.
P - Cam phaser / VVT unit. The cam phaser(s), VVT actuator, cam adjuster or VANOS unit (including its lock pin) was
    named as the cause or was replaced.
S - Oil control valve / VVT solenoid. The OCV, VVT solenoid, its connector, wiring or screen was named as the cause
    or was replaced or cleaned.
K - Position sensor or signal. The crankshaft or camshaft position sensor, reluctor/tone wheel or its wiring was
    named as the cause or was replaced.
L - Oil. Low oil level, an overdue or wrong oil change, dirty/sludged oil, oil consumption, low oil pressure or a
    failed oil pump/oil pressure part was named as the cause, or an oil change/top-up was the repair stated.
W - Software or campaign only. A reflash/software update, relearn, recall, TSB, special-coverage or warranty-extension
    procedure was the only repair stated (no part named as cause).
E - Engine failure or replacement. The engine (or a long block / short block) was replaced, rebuilt or declared
    failed, or internal damage was found (metal debris, seized, bent valves), and no single part of T, P, S, K, L was
    named as the root cause.
O - Another cause. A repair outside the timing system was named as the cause (misdiagnosis, a different system), or
    the code/noise was traced to something else.
C - Checked and cleared. The shop or dealer inspected or tested and found no fault, or only cleared the code, with no
    repair; or the light went out by itself and nothing was done.
U - No diagnosis or repair stated. The event is reported but nothing was found or done yet, or the complaint does
    not say.

Precedence when more than one fits: use the FINAL repair the complaint reports as having fixed it (or, if it never
got fixed, the cause the shop named last). A part replaced that the owner says did not help does not count. If
several parts were replaced together and no single one is named, use the most specific named part in the order
T, P, S, K, L. If a part from T/P/S/K/L is named as the root cause of an engine failure, use that letter (the
engine damage goes in the damage flag), not E. Among W, E, O, C, U: W before E before O before C before U. A cause
the owner merely guesses at does not count (an owner's "probably the chain" is U unless a shop or the dealer said it,
or the part was replaced).

## FLAGS (yes/no)

damage - the complaint states engine damage as an outcome: seized or locked engine, metal debris/shavings, bent or
    broken valves, a snapped/jumped chain that wrecked the engine, an engine replaced or rebuilt, or a shop saying
    the engine must be replaced.
stall - the complaint states that while driving the engine stalled, shut off, lost power, went into limp/reduced
    power, or that it would not start (no-start) because of this fault.
noise - the complaint reports a rattle, chatter, tick, knock or whine from the engine (cold-start rattle, chain
    noise, phaser rattle) as a symptom.
recall - the complaint states that a recall, special coverage, service campaign, extension, TSB or "known issue"
    notice for this vehicle was performed, offered, missing, refused, asked about, or is blamed or credited for this
    event.
returned - the complaint states that after a repair or a reset the same light, code, noise or failure came back, or
    the repair did not fix it.

## OUTPUT

One CSV line per complaint, in the order given, no header line:
`odino,category,damage,stall,noise,recall,returned,note`
category is one letter (N T P S K L W E O C U); flags are yes or no (for N, all five flags are no);
note is at most 15 words, no commas, saying what decided the category.

==============================================================================
# Addendum - second batch

Written before any complaint of this batch was sorted. The relevance rule, categories, flags and output format of the first sorting rules (above) apply unchanged.

## Why a second batch
After the first 3,549 complaints were sorted, a second, independent search of the whole complaint file looked for complaints the first text searches could not match. It found 3,217 more: about 2,000 name the timing chain without any of the first search's context words ("timing chain broke", "timing chain replaced"); about 480 name a cam phaser, VCT unit or VANOS without a context word; about 260 use words the first search did not list (Honda "VTC actuator", Hyundai and Kia "CVVT", "VTEC actuator", "cam shaft" with solenoid, adjuster or gear); about 250 use other wording ("jumped time", "out of time", "timing is off", "time chain", "cam chain", "death rattle", Mercedes balance-shaft sprockets with codes 1200 or 1208); about 80 use other code spellings or neighbouring codes (P0008, P0009, P0010, P0020, P0023, P0026, P0027, PO017, P00014, a truncated P011).
Neighbouring codes P0008 and P0009 (engine position system performance, GM wording for crank/cam correlation), P0010, P0020 (camshaft actuator circuit) and P0023 count as part of the family for relevance.

## Clarifications of the first rules (these decide most disagreements; they were written down during the first batch and are applied from the start in this batch)
C1 Oil is category L only when a shop, dealer or maker names oil (deprivation, consumption, level, sludge, oil pressure) as the cause of the timing fault; an owner's own claim of "no oil" keeps the part that was named.
C2 recall = yes needs a recall, TSB, campaign, special coverage, extension or "known issue" notice for this vehicle to be mentioned as performed, offered, excluded, cited by number, or asked of the dealer or maker (an answer "no recall for your VIN" counts). A class action, "the maker knows", "there should be a recall" and "the maker has not issued a recall" are not notices.
C3 stall = yes needs a statement that the engine stopped, shut off, seized, lost power or went into limp/reduced-power mode, or would not start, because of this fault. A risk described in a pasted notice or a possibility is no.
C4 damage = yes needs engine damage stated as fact for THIS engine (seized, metal shavings found, bent valves, damaged lifters or cams, engine replaced or the shop saying it must be replaced). Damage for other owners, or "possibly", is no.
C5 If the final repair is the engine and no shop named a single root part (T, P, S, K, L), the category is E; if a shop named a root part, that letter wins.
C6 returned = yes needs a stated repair or reset AND the same light, code, noise or failure afterwards. A code that "keeps coming on" with no repair stated is no.
C7 The category records what a shop, dealer or mechanic NAMED or what was replaced. A cause the owner infers from a code reader, a parts-store scan, the internet or a forum, or states with no shop, dealer or mechanic mentioned, is U. A part the shop says it will replace next counts as named. A part replaced that the writer says did not help does not count (U).
C8 A failure listed as found on this vehicle in a long list of unrelated defects still counts for its letter.
C9 Text pasted from a recall or notice with no fault or repair on this vehicle: U (recall = yes, stall = no, damage = no); if it states no fault on this vehicle at all, N.
C10 Several parts replaced in one repair: the first in the order T, P, S, K, L; separate repairs: the last one that was done. A camshaft assembly replaced for a cam-timing code counts as P; a timing chain cover named as the failed part counts as T. A shop naming water pump, vacuum pump, rocker arm, balance shaft or PCV as the root cause of a chain or phaser failure is O.
C11 Hedged statements ("could be", "may need", "most likely") are not a named cause: U.

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# Rules used to settle disagreements between the two sortings
Every complaint was sorted twice, independently, by the same written rules. Where the two sortings differed in the category or in any of the five yes/no flags, the difference was settled by the rules below and the rule is named in the rule_applied column of the complaints file. Rules R1 to R11 and R2b were written down while the first batch was settled; the second batch applied C1 to C11 (above) from the start, which restate R1 to R11. C2b is R2b under the second batch's numbering. C7a is C7 applied in bulk: the two sortings differed on the category, one of them was U, and the narrative has no statement by a shop, dealer or mechanic and no part replaced, so the category is U. The entry "N" in rule_applied means the complaint was found not to describe a timing-chain, cam-phaser or cam-timing event on the car (a timing belt on a belt engine with no code or phaser, an oil pump chain, a hose, a pasted notice with no fault on this car).

R1 oil is the category (L) only when a shop, dealer or maker names oil (deprivation, consumption, level, sludge) as the cause; the owner's own claim of "no oil" keeps the part that was named (T/P/S).

R2 recall=yes needs a recall, TSB, campaign, special coverage, extension or "known issue" notice for this vehicle to be mentioned (performed, offered, excluded, asked about, cited by number). A class action, or an owner saying the maker "knows", is not a notice.

R3 stall=yes needs a statement that the engine stopped, shut off, seized, lost power/limped, or would not start because of this fault; a risk described in a pasted notice, or a possibility, is no.

R4 damage=yes needs engine damage stated as fact for THIS engine (seized, metal shavings found, valves/lifters/bearings damaged, engine replaced or told to be replaced); damage reported for other owners, or "possibly", is no.

R5 engine replaced/rebuilt: E when the final repair is the engine and no single root part (T/P/S/K/L) is named by a shop for it; the named part wins when a shop named one.

R6 returned=yes needs a stated repair or reset AND the same light/code/noise/failure afterwards; a code that "keeps coming on" with no repair stated is no.

R7 a cause the owner infers from a code or from the internet (not stated by a shop or dealer) is U; a part the shop/dealer says it will replace next counts as named.

R8 a failure listed as found on this vehicle in a long list of unrelated defects still counts for its letter.

R9 text pasted from a recall/notice with no fault or repair on this vehicle: U (recall=yes, stall=no).

R10 several parts replaced in one repair: the first in the order T, P, S, K, L; separate repairs: the last one that was done.

R11 a camshaft assembly replaced for a cam-timing code counts as P (the camshaft carries the phaser); a timing chain cover named as the failed part counts as T.

R2b a statement that someone should issue a recall, that the maker 'has not issued' one, or that 'no recall will be published', is not a notice; an answer from the dealer or maker about this VIN ('no recall for your VIN') counts as asked about = yes.


# Final check (applied to rows on which the two sortings agreed)
R7c / C7: where both sortings named a timing chain, phaser, solenoid, sensor or oil cause but the narrative contains no statement by a shop, dealer or mechanic and no part replaced, the category was changed to U (no diagnosis or repair stated). 108 rows of the first batch and 50 of the second were changed; the resolution column says "changed in the consistency check".


# Correction added 9 October 2026 (after the fingerprints above; the fingerprinted text was not changed)
In "Why a second batch" the list of other code spellings names P0026 and PO017 among the complaints the second search found. Neither spelling occurs in the 6,766 complaints; they were examples given to the second search. Spellings of P0017 that do occur include P0017, p0017, P000017, POO17 (two letter Os), P0 017 and P017, and some owners wrote only 0017. The sorting of the complaints did not depend on this list.