P0202 is a very common OBD2 trouble code. It indicates that cylinder 2 in the firing order has a fuel injector malfunction. It’s generic code, which means that it means the same thing for the Kia Soul as it would for any other vehicle.
When the PCM sees voltage at cylinder 2 that is out of the normal operating range, it’ll trigger this code. P0202 is usually caused by a bad fuel injector or wiring issue. If the misfire were in cylinder 1, you’d get P0201.
P0202 is usually caused by a bad fuel injector or wiring issue.
Kia Soul: P0202 Symptoms
This code is usually accompanied by noticeable symptoms. Here are the most common ones:
- Misfire– If your Soul’s fuel injector is not getting the right amount of fuel into cylinder two, it’ll misfire. A misfire will hurt the acceleration of the vehicle and cause fuel mileage to suffer.
- Check Engine Light– The check engine light will obviously be on, but you may or may not get a flashing check engine light as well.
P0202 Causes: Kia Soul
The good news when diagnosing P0202 in your Soul is that you only need to look at the fuel injector in cylinder two, since the computer has pinpointed the location of the problem for you.
Bad Fuel Injector
Bad fuel injectors are the most common reason that P0202 is thrown by the PCM. You still want to take a look at the wiring harness. You’ll also want to test the injector. There’s a YouTube video directly above that shows how to do that. A new fuel injector is relatively affordable.
Fuel injectors can make your Soul’s PCM throw P0202 if they are plugged, dirty, or defective.
Wiring Issue
When diagnosing P0202, taking a look at the wiring around the injector is a great place to start. You want to make sure that it doesn’t look visibly damaged.
Make sure that the voltage at the injector matches the injectors that aren’t getting the code. If they aren’t that’s a good indication that something is wrong with the wiring harness.
Bad PCM
This is the last place that you’d want to look, but a bad PCM can be the reason why your Soul is getting P0202.
Conclusion: P0202 Kia Soul
It’s usually not too hard to track down P0202, thanks to the fact that it is specific to the first cylinder. If there is anything you would like to add that could help the next person with their Soul, please leave a comment. Good luck!