P1214

What it means

P1214 on a Mercury means the engine control unit has detected an intermittent fault in the circuit of pedal position sensor B, one of the accelerator pedal's position sensors. The signal drops out, spikes or goes out of range briefly rather than staying faulty. The control unit compares the pedal sensor signals with each other and with expected values, and it set the code when sensor B misbehaved and then recovered.

Symptoms

• Engine warning light on
• Hesitation or stumbling when pressing the accelerator
• Reduced power or limp mode with restricted throttle response
• Unstable or surging idle
• Intermittent loss of throttle response that comes and goes
• Other warning lights, such as traction control, may appear on some models

Possible causes

• Loose, corroded or damaged connector at the accelerator pedal assemblylikely
• Wear or contamination inside the pedal position sensor assembly causing signal dropoutslikely
• Chafed, broken or intermittently open wiring between the pedal and the engine control unitpossible
• Poor sensor reference voltage or ground supply, from a bad shared connectionpossible
• Water ingress or corrosion in a wiring harness connector along the routepossible
• Fault inside the engine control unit or an outdated calibration, where a manufacturer update addresses it for the specific enginerare

How to diagnose

1. Read all stored and pending codes and note the freeze frame data, including when and under what conditions the fault set.
2. Check for related codes covering pedal sensor A, throttle position or throttle body circuits, as these point towards a shared supply or ground fault.
3. Inspect the pedal assembly connector and harness for corrosion, bent pins, a poor fit or damage, and check for moisture in the footwell.
4. With a scan tool's live data, watch pedal sensors A and B while slowly pressing and releasing the pedal, looking for dropouts, spikes or mismatch between the two.
5. Wiggle the harness and connector while watching live data to try to reproduce the intermittent fault.
6. Check the reference voltage and ground at the pedal connector against the workshop data for the model and engine.
7. Test the wiring for continuity and for shorts to ground or voltage between the pedal connector and the control unit.
8. Check whether any technical service bulletins or calibration updates apply to the specific model and engine.

How to fix

• Clean, repair or replace the pedal connector and terminals if they are corroded or loose.
• Replace the accelerator pedal assembly if live data shows signal dropouts or mismatch.
• Repair or replace damaged wiring sections, using proper soldered and sealed repairs.
• Restore faulty reference or ground connections found during testing.
• Apply a manufacturer calibration update only if one is issued for a known fault on this engine, then clear the codes and road test.

Can I keep driving?

This code for other makes

• P1214BuickInjection Pump Timing Offset
• P1214CadillacInjection Pump Timing Offset
• P1214ChevroletInjection Pump Timing Offset
• P1214ChryslerInjection Pump Timing Offset
• P1214FordPedal Position Sensor B Circuit Intermittent
• P1214GMInjection Pump Timing Offset
• P1214GMCInjection Pump Timing Offset
• P1214KiaFuel Injector 2 Circuit High Voltage
• P1214LincolnPedal Position Sensor B Circuit Intermittent
• P1214OldsmobileInjection Pump Timing Offset
• P1214OtherPedal Position Sensor B Circuit Intermittent
• P1214SaturnInjection Pump Timing Offset
• P1214VolkswagenCylinder 2 Fuel Injector Circuit Short To B+

Nearby codes

• P1213MercuryStart Injector Circuit Malfunction
• P1215MercuryPedal Position Sensor C Circuit Low Input