P0500Vehicle Speed Sensor A Circuit
- Generic OBD-II code · Powertrain
- Turns on the check-engine light
- Matters for the ITP
- Can trigger limp mode
- Needs a drive cycle to confirm a fix
- How the car detects it
- The vehicle speed signal A comes, depending on the maker, from a sensor on the gearbox, the transmission output speed, the wheel speeds via ABS/ESP or a CAN message; CARB explicitly names it as an input to be monitored. P0500 is the general code for this signal. Ford checks plausibility: the car must be moving (high load, positive torque), yet the signal stays below 1–5 mph for 5 s; Ford diesels flag a missing CAN message after 0.5 s. GM's Saturn ION of 2004 used high load with below 3 mph for 6.2 s (MIL after two trips); GM's 2018 tables use P0502/P0503 instead. Cruise control is then disabled and substitute values are used.
- What you may notice
- Check engine light on
- Speedometer dead or jumping
- Cruise control not working
- Automatic shifts harshly or wrongly
- Likely causes
- LikelyABS/ESP module or wheel speed sensor faulty (signal source)
- LikelyOutput speed sensor or vehicle speed sensor faulty or dirty (metal debris on the magnet)
- PossibleWire or connector open or shorted, corrosion
- PossibleCAN communication fault (message missing)
- RareWrong tyre or axle data programmed
- 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: €60 – €350
- Related codes
Explanation from obdex (CC0), exactly as the app shows it. Guidance only; confirm with a workshop.