What P0246 means

Turbocharger/Supercharger Wastegate Actuator A High

How to diagnose

  1. Read freeze frame data. When P0246 set, your ECU snapshotted every sensor at that moment. This tells you what the car was doing when the fault triggered — RPM, load, coolant temp, throttle position, fuel trims. Almost always enough info to figure out the cause without further testing.
  2. Check for related codes. If you have P0246 plus other codes, fix the earliest one in the chain first — a single root cause often triggers multiple codes.
  3. Cheap fixes first. For most codes, the order is: inspect connectors + wiring (free), check for vacuum leaks (cheap), replace sensor (moderate), replace mechanical part (expensive). Follow that ladder before dropping money on parts.

Manufacturer-specific descriptions

Different manufacturers use P0246 for slightly different failure modes:

BMWTurbo/Super Charger Wastegate Solenoid "A" High
FORDWastegate Solenoid A High
MITSUBISHITurbocharger Wastegate Solenoid A High
NISSANTurbocharger Wastegate Solenoid A High
VOLKSWAGENTurbocharger Wastegate Solenoid 1 High Voltage
Read P0246 on your own car

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Related codes

P0240 · P0241 · P0242 · P0243 · P0244 · P0245

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