Crank position sensor not reading correctly.
P0335 — also written PO335, P 0335, 0335 — is the OBD-II code for crankshaft position sensor 'a' circuit. Same code, same fix: this page covers every spelling of it.
Crankshaft position sensor circuit malfunction — the ECU is getting no signal or an intermittent signal from the crank sensor. When it fails fully the engine simply won't start (no injector pulse, no spark). Intermittently it causes the classic UK 'hot-start' failure: car cuts out on a shop stop, won't restart for 20 minutes, then fires up fine when it's cooled down. The crank sensor is the single most heat-sensitive electronic component on a UK engine and is the number one cause of stall-and-restart faults on Vauxhall, Renault and PSA cars.
P0335 is a sensors fault code, typically costing £80–£400 to put right in a UK garage.
What P0335 actually feels like to drive
- Engine cuts out suddenly while driving with no warning, cranks and cranks then fires up 15–20 minutes later
- Hot-start failure: won't restart after a 10-minute shop stop, absolutely fine after sitting an hour
- Very long cranking (4–8 seconds) before the engine catches, especially on hot days
- Stalling at junctions or roundabouts, particularly when engine is fully warm
- Rev counter drops to zero briefly while driving, then jumps back to normal
- Eventual complete no-start with the engine cranking normally but no injector pulse and no spark
- P0335 sometimes stored alongside P0336 (performance) or P0016 (crank/cam correlation)
What causes P0335?
- Failed crank sensor
- Wiring damage
- Damaged tone wheel
UK vehicles that throw P0335 most often
- Vauxhall Astra H / J / Corsa D / E / Insignia 1.4 / 1.6 / 1.8 petrol — heat-soak failure at 60–100k
- Vauxhall Astra / Zafira / Insignia 1.7 / 2.0 CDTi diesel — bell-housing-mounted sensor, cooked by turbo
- Ford Focus / Fiesta / Mondeo 1.6 / 2.0 (Duratec / TDCi) — genuine sensor failure
- Ford 1.0 EcoBoost — sensor sits near hot exhaust, heat-soak stalls
- VW Polo / Golf / Skoda / SEAT 1.2 / 1.4 / 1.6 petrol and diesel — pigtail loom corrosion
- Renault Megane / Clio / Scenic 1.4 / 1.5 dCi / 1.6 — very common heat-soak failure
- Nissan Qashqai / Micra 1.5 dCi / 1.2 DIG-T — sensor genuine failure
- Peugeot 207 / 208 / 308 / 3008 1.4 / 1.6 (petrol and HDi) — same PSA sensor pattern
- Toyota Yaris / Auris 1.33 / 1.5 hybrid — sensor internal open circuit past 100k
How P0335 is fixed
- Crank sensor replacement
- Wiring repair
The P0335 misdiagnosis that wastes money
P0335 is the code where cars get expensively misdiagnosed as fuel pump failures, immobiliser faults, ignition coil failures, and even (on diesels) high-pressure pump problems. Bob's 32 years on the tools rule for P0335: when the primary symptom is 'hot-start failure that clears after 20–30 minutes cooling', the crank sensor is the first thing to check EVERY time, not the last. On Vauxhall 1.4 / 1.6 petrol and 1.7 CDTi we've seen owners pay for a £600 fuel pump, a £180 ignition coil pack and a £90 recovery bill before someone finally fitted a £45 crank sensor and fixed the car in ten minutes. Second miss: chasing the immobiliser. If the engine cranks normally and there's no immobiliser warning light in the dash, the immobiliser is not the fault — it's a starting circuit issue, and no-signal from the crank sensor kills injector pulse identically. Third miss on the diesel side: pursuing the high-pressure fuel pump for a no-start when the fault is a sensor that costs 3% of the pump. Fourth miss: fitting a cheap eBay crank sensor. On Vauxhall, Renault and PSA the sensor MUST be a genuine, Delphi, or Bosch part — unbranded sensors have wrong air-gap magnetism and store P0335/P0336 within a fortnight.
What a UK garage should charge for P0335
UK independent garage: diagnostic + live crank RPM read during hot-restart £45–£80. Crankshaft position sensor replacement: top-mounted (Vauxhall 1.4 petrol, PSA 1.6 HDi) £45–£110 fitted, 30-minute job. Bell-housing / rear-mounted (Vauxhall 1.7 CDTi, some Fords) £110–£220 fitted, 90-minute job with heat shield off. Genuine or Bosch/Delphi/NGK sensor is essential — unbranded eBay parts fail within weeks. Loom repair to sensor pigtail (chafed, corroded, water-ingressed) £45–£120. Sensor connector re-terminate + dielectric grease £25–£60. On Ford 1.0 EcoBoost the sensor is close to the exhaust, allow £110–£180 fitted. Main dealer: 40–60% more. Never authorise anything beyond a crank sensor as first fix when the primary symptom is heat-soak restart failure.
P0335 repair cost in the UK
Most P0335 repairs land between £80–£400 including parts and labour. The spread is wide because the cheap fix (a sensor, a hose, a leak) and the expensive fix (a major component) throw the same code — which is why a proper diagnosis before parts are bought saves the most money.
Bob's tip on P0335
Bob's real workshop shortcut for P0335 in 30 seconds: when the car has cut out and refuses to restart hot, put your hand on the crank sensor (safely — engine off, not on the exhaust). If it's uncomfortably hot to touch and the engine cranks with a healthy fuel-pump prime but won't fire, that's your diagnosis right there — heat-soak crank sensor failure. Splash a bottle of cold water over the sensor from a safe distance, wait 60 seconds, try to start. If it fires immediately, order a genuine sensor and drive home. Carry a spare in the glovebox once you've replaced one on a Vauxhall or Renault — they're a 'when' not 'if' component past 80k, and a £45 sensor in a layby saves a £220 recovery bill. On Vauxhall 1.7 CDTi the sensor is behind the starter motor near the bell-housing — nasty to reach but do it properly with a genuine Delphi part, because a repeat job means dropping the exhaust again. On Renault dCi engines, fit a Sagem or Facet OE sensor — the unbranded £15 boxes fail on the first hot day of summer. And if you're seeing intermittent 'engine cut out on motorway then restarted' with the light going on and off, do NOT drive the car another week — the eventual full failure of a crank sensor happens at speed and can leave you coasting to the hard shoulder with no power steering. Not sure whether your P0335 is really a crank sensor or something else? <a href="/ask-a-mechanic-uk?code=P0335">Ask Bob about your P0335</a> for £14.99 with make, model, mileage and the exact conditions when it stalls — you'll get the right answer before you spend money on parts.
Can you drive with P0335?
Engine may stall or fail to start.
Urgency: high.