What P0A41 means
P0A41 reports that a resolver signal of motor A sits below its permitted range, as happens with a sine, cosine or excitation wire shorted to ground, a shorted coil or a broken line pulled down by the input circuit.
How the engine computer detects it
Kia documents it on the 2011-13 Optima Hybrid: an intermittent MIL or hybrid service lamp with P0A41 in the motor control unit, traced to internal shorts or poor pin fit in the sub-harness between the hybrid power control unit and the motor, checked against resistance specs. Bosch patents describe telling a short to ground from a short to supply by the offset of the coil lines. P0A42 is the high side, P0A3F the general loss of signal, P0A40 a degraded signal. Expect a warning lamp and possibly no electric drive.
Written from public technical sources and not yet checked by a mechanic. How we write these pages
Symptoms
- Intermittent MIL or hybrid service lamp
- Electric drive temporarily disabled
- Code returns after clearing, often with vibration or heat
Common causes
- Internal short in the resolver sub-harness between power control unit and motor (Kia Optima Hybrid) Most likely
- Poor pin fit at the resolver connectors Most likely
- Shorted resolver coil inside the motor Less likely
- Faulty resolver input stage in the motor control unit Less likely
How to diagnose P0A41
- Read every stored code with an OBD-II scanner. If misfire or fuel trim codes are there too, fix those first: they often cause this one.
- Inspect the parts involved: drive motor a, rotor position sensor, wiring harness.
- Work through the causes above from most to least likely, cheapest checks first.
- Clear the code and drive a full drive cycle to confirm the repair held.
Reading the code
- P
- Powertrain
- 0
- Generic (SAE) code
- A
- Hybrid and electric propulsion
- 41
- Specific fault
Questions drivers ask
Can I drive with code P0A41?
If the car drives normally, drive gently to a shop that services hybrids. If it shows a hybrid system warning, loses power or won't go into Ready, pull over and have it towed. Never touch orange high-voltage cables.
Will my car pass an emissions inspection with P0A41?
Probably not in states that test vehicles with an OBD-II scan: an emissions-related code that keeps the check engine light on is usually an automatic fail. Rules differ by state and county, so check yours.
This page is general information, not a substitute for a professional diagnosis. Repair costs are rough estimates for parts and labor and vary by vehicle and region.