P0124Throttle/Pedal Position Sensor/Switch A Circuit Intermittent
- Generic OBD-II code · Powertrain
- Turns on the check-engine light
- Matters for the ITP
- Can trigger limp mode
- How the car detects it
- Sensor A is, in practice, throttle position sensor 1 at the throttle body; the accelerator pedal has its own codes (P2120 onwards). With a cable-operated throttle there is a single potentiometer (about 0.5 V closed to 4.5 V wide open). Electronic throttles have two sensors sharing a 5 V reference and ground, usually running in opposite directions – on GM throttle sensor 1 falls from 3–4 V at idle to below 1 V at full throttle. P0124 covers short, recurring dropouts of sensor A. The only manufacturer source naming it is Ford's 2020–2023 summary for digital SENT throttle sensors: an error lasting more than 0.4 s sets P0124, one lasting more than 4 s sets P0120, so brief dropouts are kept apart from lasting faults; MIL and wrench lamp come on. GM does not use P0124 in the tables checked – its low/high monitors already catch intermittent shorts. For analogue sensors the description rests on CARB and component information. Typical causes are loose contacts, a chafed harness or a worn potentiometer track.
- What you may notice
- Check engine light, possibly only intermittently
- Brief hesitation or power drop
- Limp mode that disappears after restart
- Rough idle
- Likely causes
- LikelyLoose contact in the connector (spread terminals, corrosion)
- PossibleChafed or partly broken wire in the harness
- PossibleWorn potentiometer track (dropout at a certain position)
- RareSensor electronics faulty (SENT)
- Inspection (ITP)
- Matters for the ITP. While the check-engine light is on, the car fails the emissions check.
- Repair
- Medium · Often possible to do yourself.Typical cost: €20 – €450
- Related codes
Explanation from obdex (CC0), exactly as the app shows it. Guidance only; confirm with a workshop.