EN

Severity: Moderate Code type: Generic (all makes)

P0206 Code: Injector Circuit / Open – Cylinder 6

Injector 6's circuit is open or faulty. On an inline-six that's the rear cylinder, tucked under the cowl.

Safety first · Consult a professional

  • Fuel vapor is flammable. No smoking or open flames; work outdoors and fix fuel leaks before driving.

At a glance

Severity: 3/5 – Moderate3/5

Severity: Moderate

Meaning
Injector Circuit / Open – Cylinder 6
System
Fuel & Air Metering · Powertrain
Safe to drive?
With caution
Typical repair cost
$90–$1,700
DIY difficulty
Moderate

P0206 sets on six- and eight-cylinder engines when the ECU pulses injector 6 and does not see the current rise and switch-off voltage spike a healthy coil produces. Where cylinder 6 sits shapes the whole job. On an inline-six (BMW, Jeep 4.0, the Cummins in Ram pickups, GM's 4.2 Vortec) it is the last cylinder, right under the cowl, where the connector lives in the hottest, least ventilated corner of the engine bay. On GM and Hemi V8s it is the third cylinder back on the passenger bank, on Ford V8s the second one back on the driver's side, and on most V6s it sits on bank 2. The fault is electrical, so you are hunting in the plug, the wiring, the injector coil or the ECU driver.

Can I keep driving? You can usually limp to a shop: the engine keeps running on the other cylinders but shakes, and the ECU over-fuels the rest of that bank. Skip towing and hard acceleration, and pull over if the light starts flashing.

How to read P0206

How to read P0206P10223064
  1. P Powertrain
  2. 0 Generic (SAE)
  3. 2 Fuel & air (injector circuit)
  4. 06 Specific fault

Symptoms

  • Idle vibration you feel through the seat, easing somewhat above about 2,000 rpm
  • P0306 misfire stored with it, sometimes only after a hot restart
  • Bank 2 lean code (P0174) on V6 and V8 engines; on an inline-six a P0171, since there is only one bank
  • Stumble that gets worse once the engine bay is fully heat-soaked in traffic
  • Lower fuel economy and an uneven, chuffing exhaust note

Possible causes

Ranked by how often each cause is behind this code (editorial estimate).

  1. Heat-hardened injector 6 connector or seal, typical of the rear cylinder of an inline-six that gets the least airflow 25%
  2. Injector 6 coil open, or breaking down only when hot 22%
  3. Harness rubbed through at the back of the head, near a lifting eye, bracket or the EGR tube 17%
  4. Connector knocked loose during plug, coil or valve cover gasket work on the rear cylinder 14%
  5. Group supply or bank connector problem (six-cylinder diesels often power injectors 4-5-6 together), usually with P0204 or P0205 too 12%
  6. ECU driver for injector 6 damaged, often by a shorted injector 10%

Diagnosis step by step

Diagnostic flow: P02061Locate cylinder 6 on your layout2Use freeze frame to see when itfailed3Measure the injector cold and hot4Check the feed for voltage drop5Trace the rear harness branch6Prove the fix on a hot idle

  1. Locate cylinder 6 on your layout

    Inline-six: the rearmost cylinder, next to the firewall. GM and Chrysler Hemi V8: passenger side, third from the front. Ford V8: driver's side, second from the front. Toyota and Honda transverse V6: the front bank, toward the radiator. Confirm with service information before buying parts.

    Tools: Flashlight

  2. Use freeze frame to see when it failed

    Read the freeze frame for coolant temperature, load and rpm when P0206 set. If it only appears at full operating temperature or after a hot restart, suspect a coil or terminal that opens when it expands, something a cold ohm reading can miss.

    Tools: OBD-II scanner

  3. Measure the injector cold and hot

    Unplug injector 6 and measure it cold, then again right after a drive. High-impedance gas injectors normally read about 11 to 16 ohms; a value that climbs sharply or goes open when hot condemns the injector. Diesel solenoid and piezo injectors use entirely different specs, so look up yours.

    Tools: Multimeter

  4. Check the feed for voltage drop

    Key on, back-probe the feed terminal at the injector 6 connector and compare it with battery voltage. More than about 0.5 V difference at cylinder 6 but not at the front injectors points to a poor splice or connector in the rear part of the harness.

    Tools: Multimeter

  5. Trace the rear harness branch

    Follow the injector 6 branch back toward the bank connector. Look for rub-through at brackets and lifting eyes, and for melted insulation near the exhaust manifold or EGR tube at the back of the engine.

    Tools: Flashlight

  6. Prove the fix on a hot idle

    After the repair, clear codes and watch the cylinder 6 misfire counter in live data or Mode 6 through a 15-minute drive that ends with a hot idle. Zero counts and no pending code confirm the circuit.

    Tools: OBD-II scanner

Where the parts are

Ignition: coils and spark plugs per cylinder – P02061234567
Ignition: coils and spark plugs per cylinder
  1. 1Ignition coil
  2. 2Spark plug
  3. 3Fuel injector
  4. 4Camshaft sensor
  5. 5Crankshaft sensor
  6. 6Engine computer (ECM)
  7. 7Intake manifold

Repair options & costs

RepairDIY?Estimated cost
Replace heat-damaged injector 6 connector pigtail Yes $90–$260
Repair rear harness section at the firewall end No $180–$550
Replace injector 6 (gas port injection) No $200–$600
Replace injector 6 (direct injection or diesel, with coding) No $450–$1,200
Repair or replace ECU with programming No $650–$1,700

Rough US estimates for parts and labor; shop rates vary by region. Not a quote.

Notes by brand

Ram

On the 5.9 and 6.7 common-rail Cummins, the injector wiring runs inside the rocker housing and connects to studs on each injector. A chafed internal harness or a loose terminal nut can set an injector circuit code, and cylinders 4 to 6 are powered as a group, so check for a group supply code as well.

Emissions / smog test impact

Will fail

An active P0206 keeps the check engine light on, which fails an OBD-II emissions test. After the repair, drive a few days so the misfire and fuel system monitors report ready before the retest.

Frequently asked questions

Why does P0206 often show up only when the engine is hot?

Injector coils and connector terminals expand with heat. The rear cylinder of an inline-six sees the highest under-hood temperatures, so a cracked winding or a slack terminal opens once heat-soaked and closes again as it cools.

On my V6, which side is cylinder 6?

It varies. Toyota and Honda transverse V6s put it on the front bank toward the radiator, while Audi and Mercedes V6s count 4 to 6 on the left bank, making cylinder 6 the rear one on that side. A stored bank 2 lean code confirms which bank your ECU means.

Can a dead injector 6 hurt the catalytic converter?

Indirectly. Cylinder 6 pumps plain air, the oxygen sensor reads lean, and the ECU adds fuel to the working cylinders on that bank, so they actually run rich. Over many miles that extra fuel can overheat the converter, so don't leave it.

Do I need to replace all six injectors?

Not for a single electrical fault. Replace injector 6 alone if it is the only one out of spec. Diesel and many direct-injection injectors need their correction code entered into the ECU after replacement, which a shop scan tool handles.

Sources