{"id":3194,"date":"2026-02-20T01:13:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T01:13:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/ask\/?p=3194"},"modified":"2026-02-20T06:09:24","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T06:09:24","slug":"what-is-code-p0021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/ask\/what-is-code-p0021\/","title":{"rendered":"What is code P0021\u200b?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The PCM makes use of a signal from the camshaft position sensor to find out the right time to fire the fuel injectors for igniting spark plugs. To know the proper timing of the engine, the PCM compares this signal to the crankshaft\u2019s signal.<\/p>\n<p>Newer cars use a variable timing system to adjust when the exhaust and intake valves open and close to increase engine performance and fuel efficiency. The PCM logs the P0021 code when the camshaft is not in the right position when compared to the crankshaft.<\/p>\n<h2>What are the common P0021 code symptoms?<\/h2>\n<p>These are some common signs that you can observe when the PCM logs this code.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Decreased fuel economy<\/li>\n<li>The engine has a rattling noise<\/li>\n<li>Hard start<\/li>\n<li>Poor engine performance<\/li>\n<li>The car stalls<\/li>\n<li>Rough or poor idling<\/li>\n<li>Fails in emissions test<\/li>\n<li>The check engine light turns on<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What causes the P0021 code?<\/h2>\n<p>These are some common reasons why this error code shows up in your car.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Low engine oil level<\/li>\n<li>Stuck or faulty timing valve control solenoid<\/li>\n<li>Defective or damaged timing chain<\/li>\n<li>Inaccurate camshaft timing<\/li>\n<li>A faulty timing chain guide or tensioner<\/li>\n<li>Issues with the PCM<\/li>\n<li>Wiring issues in the intake timing control valve control solenoid system<\/li>\n<li>The variable timing actuator is faulty<\/li>\n<li>Engine oil doesn\u2019t meet the manufacturer\u2019s specifications<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>How to fix the P0021 code<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3195\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3195\" style=\"width: 638px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3195\" src=\"https:\/\/www.way.com\/ask\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/P0021-code.jpg\" alt=\"P0021 code\" width=\"638\" height=\"425\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3195\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Image by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.freepik.com\/free-photo\/car-repair-maintenance-theme-electric-mechanic-uniform-working-auto-service-making-car-diagnostics-using-obd-device-with-laptop_26131491.htm#fromView=search&amp;page=1&amp;position=2&amp;uuid=d0525f9f-3d07-4556-a1c3-31387943b449&amp;query=obd+scanning+tool\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ASphotofamily\/Freepik<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>These are some possible repairs that will fix this error code.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Change the oil and filter<\/li>\n<li>Replace oil with one having the right viscosity<\/li>\n<li>Repair the wiring around the camshaft oil control valve<\/li>\n<li>Change the camshaft oil control valve<\/li>\n<li>Inspect the timing chain<\/li>\n<li>Replace camshaft phasers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>How much does it cost to repair the P0021 code?<\/h2>\n<p>It will cost anywhere between $200 and $400 for common, slight fixes like a Variable Valve Timing (VVT) solenoid replacement or cleaning oil passages. However, it can cost over $2,000 to fix a severe issue like a gallery gasket leak or timing chain failure.<\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"301\"><strong>Repair type<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"301\"><strong>Repair cost<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"301\">Oil flush\/Change<\/td>\n<td width=\"301\">$50-$100<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"301\">Oil Control Valve\/ VVT Solenoid<\/td>\n<td width=\"301\">$120-$250<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"301\">Timing Chain or other major repairs<\/td>\n<td width=\"301\">$2,000+<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"301\">Diagnosis fee<\/td>\n<td width=\"301\">$75-$150<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2>Is it safe to drive with a P0021 code?<\/h2>\n<p>Yes, you can safely drive with this error code for a short period. But we don\u2019t recommend driving with this code for a long period. Driving for a long period can lead to issues like decreased fuel economy, engine hesitation, stalling, and rough idling, which can finally cause unsafe driving conditions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The PCM makes use of a signal from the camshaft position sensor to find out the right time to fire the fuel injectors for igniting spark plugs. To know the proper timing of the engine, the PCM compares this signal to the crankshaft\u2019s signal. Newer cars use a variable timing system to adjust when the&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.way.com\/ask\/what-is-code-p0021\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">What is code P0021\u200b?<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3194","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-car-repair-maintenance","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What is code P0021\u200b?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What does code P0021 mean? What are the symptoms of this code? What causes it? How serious is this code? How do I fix code P0021? Know more.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.way.com\/ask\/what-is-code-p0021\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What is code P0021\u200b?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"What does code P0021 mean? What are the symptoms of this code? What causes it? How serious is this code? How do I fix code P0021? Know more.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.way.com\/ask\/what-is-code-p0021\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"ask\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-02-20T01:13:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-20T06:09:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.way.com\/ask\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/P0021-code.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"638\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"425\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Gerard Stevens\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Gerard Stevens\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.way.com\\\/ask\\\/what-is-code-p0021\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.way.com\\\/ask\\\/what-is-code-p0021\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Gerard Stevens\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.way.com\\\/ask\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b2949a0f3f556f065f4704655a8139c6\"},\"headline\":\"What is code P0021\u200b?\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-20T01:13:10+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-20T06:09:24+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.way.com\\\/ask\\\/what-is-code-p0021\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":420,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.way.com\\\/ask\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.way.com\\\/ask\\\/what-is-code-p0021\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.way.com\\\/ask\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/P0021-code.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Car Repair &amp; Maintenance\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.way.com\\\/ask\\\/what-is-code-p0021\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.way.com\\\/ask\\\/what-is-code-p0021\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.way.com\\\/ask\\\/what-is-code-p0021\\\/\",\"name\":\"What is code P0021\u200b?\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.way.com\\\/ask\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.way.com\\\/ask\\\/what-is-code-p0021\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.way.com\\\/ask\\\/what-is-code-p0021\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.way.com\\\/ask\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/P0021-code.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-20T01:13:10+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-20T06:09:24+00:00\",\"description\":\"What does code P0021 mean? What are the symptoms of this code? What causes it? How serious is this code? How do I fix code P0021? Know more.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.way.com\\\/ask\\\/what-is-code-p0021\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.way.com\\\/ask\\\/what-is-code-p0021\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.way.com\\\/ask\\\/what-is-code-p0021\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.way.com\\\/ask\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/P0021-code.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.way.com\\\/ask\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/P0021-code.jpg\",\"width\":638,\"height\":425,\"caption\":\"Image by ASphotofamily\\\/Freepik\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.way.com\\\/ask\\\/what-is-code-p0021\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.way.com\\\/ask\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"What is code P0021\u200b?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.way.com\\\/ask\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.way.com\\\/ask\\\/\",\"name\":\"ask\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.way.com\\\/ask\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.way.com\\\/ask\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.way.com\\\/ask\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"ask\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.way.com\\\/ask\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.way.com\\\/ask\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.way.com\\\/ask\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/11\\\/logo-text.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.way.com\\\/ask\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/11\\\/logo-text.png\",\"width\":96,\"height\":37,\"caption\":\"ask\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.way.com\\\/ask\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.way.com\\\/ask\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b2949a0f3f556f065f4704655a8139c6\",\"name\":\"Gerard Stevens\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/5f46e00935d330b47cc65f9d223edf7c460f35c6beda6beee78dfd0a2293bf24?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/5f46e00935d330b47cc65f9d223edf7c460f35c6beda6beee78dfd0a2293bf24?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/5f46e00935d330b47cc65f9d223edf7c460f35c6beda6beee78dfd0a2293bf24?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Gerard Stevens\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.way.com\\\/ask\\\/author\\\/gerard-stevens\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What is code P0021\u200b?","description":"What does code P0021 mean? What are the symptoms of this code? What causes it? How serious is this code? How do I fix code P0021? Know more.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/ask\/what-is-code-p0021\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"What is code P0021\u200b?","og_description":"What does code P0021 mean? What are the symptoms of this code? What causes it? How serious is this code? How do I fix code P0021? Know more.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/ask\/what-is-code-p0021\/","og_site_name":"ask","article_published_time":"2026-02-20T01:13:10+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-02-20T06:09:24+00:00","og_image":[{"width":638,"height":425,"url":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/ask\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/P0021-code.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Gerard Stevens","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Gerard Stevens","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/ask\/what-is-code-p0021\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/ask\/what-is-code-p0021\/"},"author":{"name":"Gerard Stevens","@id":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/ask\/#\/schema\/person\/b2949a0f3f556f065f4704655a8139c6"},"headline":"What is code P0021\u200b?","datePublished":"2026-02-20T01:13:10+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-20T06:09:24+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/ask\/what-is-code-p0021\/"},"wordCount":420,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/ask\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/ask\/what-is-code-p0021\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/ask\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/P0021-code.jpg","articleSection":["Car Repair &amp; Maintenance"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.way.com\/ask\/what-is-code-p0021\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/ask\/what-is-code-p0021\/","url":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/ask\/what-is-code-p0021\/","name":"What is code P0021\u200b?","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/ask\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/ask\/what-is-code-p0021\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/ask\/what-is-code-p0021\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/ask\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/P0021-code.jpg","datePublished":"2026-02-20T01:13:10+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-20T06:09:24+00:00","description":"What does code P0021 mean? What are the symptoms of this code? What causes it? How serious is this code? How do I fix code P0021? Know more.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/ask\/what-is-code-p0021\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.way.com\/ask\/what-is-code-p0021\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/ask\/what-is-code-p0021\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/ask\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/P0021-code.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/ask\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/P0021-code.jpg","width":638,"height":425,"caption":"Image by ASphotofamily\/Freepik"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/ask\/what-is-code-p0021\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/ask\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"What is code P0021\u200b?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/ask\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/ask\/","name":"ask","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/ask\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/ask\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/ask\/#organization","name":"ask","url":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/ask\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/ask\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/ask\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/logo-text.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/ask\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/logo-text.png","width":96,"height":37,"caption":"ask"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/ask\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/ask\/#\/schema\/person\/b2949a0f3f556f065f4704655a8139c6","name":"Gerard Stevens","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5f46e00935d330b47cc65f9d223edf7c460f35c6beda6beee78dfd0a2293bf24?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5f46e00935d330b47cc65f9d223edf7c460f35c6beda6beee78dfd0a2293bf24?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5f46e00935d330b47cc65f9d223edf7c460f35c6beda6beee78dfd0a2293bf24?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Gerard Stevens"},"url":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/ask\/author\/gerard-stevens\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/ask\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3194","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/ask\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/ask\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/ask\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/ask\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3194"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/ask\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3194\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3198,"href":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/ask\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3194\/revisions\/3198"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/ask\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3194"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/ask\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3194"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/ask\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3194"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}