Glossary
P-code: Powertrain Diagnostic Trouble Code
A code that begins with P, usually tied to the powertrain or engine controller.
Definition updated 2026-10-25 · Report a correction
What a P-code is
A P-code is a diagnostic trouble code that begins with the letter P. In the SAE J2012 style used by many vehicles, P identifies the powertrain domain. The remaining characters identify the code itself. A generic P-code such as P0112 has a widely published meaning, while a manufacturer-specific P-code can use the same shape for a completely different circuit.
Powersports manuals often extend the format. A row can use a four-character code with a letter suffix, such as P140A or P140E, or pair a P-code with an SPN/FMI value. The archive keeps the printed code exactly as the manual publishes it, including letter suffixes.
P-codes and SPN/FMI
Some tables publish a P-code and an SPN/FMI pair for the same row. Others publish only one format. When both appear, the P-code is usually the service-tool label and the SPN/FMI pair is the controller-level identity. The two can be useful together: the P-code is easier to search in a manual, and the SPN/FMI pair shows the parameter and failure mode.
The same P-code can map to different SPN/FMI values or different labels across model years. That is one reason the archive keeps the model year attached to every page. The label-variance reference shows the keys with more than one printed description.
P-codes in this archive
The archive has P-code keys such as P0112, P1407, and P1510. Some are part of a mixed table with SPN/FMI cross-references; others are the only code format in the chapter. The code index lists the P-code keys with their first printed label and a page where each appears.
A P-code is not automatically a generic OBD-II code. In a powersports manual, the same letters and digits can be defined by the manufacturer for a circuit that has no passenger-car equivalent. The printed OEM label is the authority for that table.
Reading a P-code row
Start with the code page for the model year, not with a generic code list. Check whether the row also prints an SPN/FMI value, a short description, or a fault-setting column. Those columns tell you which format the manual uses and whether the code is part of a module-specific table. The archive does not add a diagnosis or a repair step to the printed row.
If only the P-code is known, the decoder and the code index can find the key. If the model year is known, the model page is the better starting point because it preserves the source chapter and the exact label.