P0018 Crankshaft Position - Camshaft Position Correlation (Bank 2 Sensor A)

• Check engine light on
• Long cranking or hard starting
• Rough idle and loss of power
• Chain rattle at cold start on chain-driven engines
• Risk of valve damage on interference engines if the timing has jumped

1. Timing chain stretched, or belt or chain jumped a tooth Most likely
2. Camshaft phaser stuck at an end stop, oil control valve or oil pressure faulty Possible
3. Incorrect assembly after a belt or chain replacement Possible
4. Camshaft or crankshaft sensor signal disturbed Less likely
5. Reluctor wheel on crankshaft or camshaft slipped Less likely

1. Check the oil level and condition. Low or old oil slows the variable valve timing; top up or change it with the correct viscosity, clear the code and see if it returns.
2. Look for other timing codes such as P0016 or P0017 (bank 1) and P0019. Codes on both banks at once point to something they share, like oil supply, the crankshaft sensor or the main timing chain.
3. If the timing belt or chain was replaced recently and the code appeared afterwards, have the timing marks checked. It may have been installed a tooth off.
4. Listen for a rattle in the first seconds after a cold start, a typical sign of a stretched chain.
5. Inspect the bank 2 camshaft sensor and the crankshaft sensor connectors for oil, corrosion or loose pins.
6. A shop can read cam and crank correlation values on a scanner. If the timing is off, the fix is usually a timing chain kit or belt, sometimes with the cam phaser.

Counts of owner complaints to the NHTSA that mention P0018 (44 in total), not failure rates: popular models get more complaints simply because more of them are on the road. Models with fewer than 3 complaints are left out.