P0460: Fuel level sensor "A" circuit
The engine computer gets an implausible signal from the fuel level sensor in the tank, so the fuel gauge and the low-fuel warning may be wrong.
Updated
What P0460 means
The fuel level sensor, also called the sender, sits in the tank, on many cars together with the fuel pump. A float on an arm moves along a variable resistor as the level changes, and the engine computer or the instrument cluster reads the result as a voltage.
P0460 means that signal is missing, or outside the range a working sender can give: for example a level higher than the tank can hold. The engine computer also uses the fuel level for some of its self-tests, such as the fuel vapour (EVAP) leak test on many petrol cars.
P0461 to P0464: the same sensor, other faults
These come from the same sensor and the same checks. P0461 means the signal doesn’t behave as expected, for example it doesn’t change as fuel is used, P0462 and P0463 that it sits too low or too high, and P0464 that it drops out now and then. The advice and the checks are the same.
P0461: Fuel level sensor circuit range/performance
P0462: Fuel Level Sensor A Circuit Low
P0463: Fuel Level Sensor A Circuit High
P0464: Fuel Level Sensor A Circuit Intermittent
Can I keep driving?
Check soon
Probably OK to drive short-term, but have it checked soon. The fuel gauge and the low-fuel warning may be wrong, so you could run out of fuel without warning: fill up early, and keep track of the distance since you last filled up.
General guidance based on the code alone, not on the car’s actual condition. If in doubt, stop and ask a mechanic.
The real risk is a gauge that shows more fuel than there is. Until it’s fixed, use the trip meter: fill up well before the distance the car can cover on a tank.
Symptoms
- The fuel gauge reads wrong, jumps around, or stays at full or empty.
- The low-fuel warning comes on with plenty of fuel in the tank, or doesn’t come on when it should.
- The engine stops for lack of fuel while the gauge still shows some.
- On some cars, the Evaporative system self-test doesn’t complete.
Common causes
- Faulty fuel level sensor (sender) in the tank. On many cars the sender is part of the fuel pump unit in the tank, so it’s replaced with or inside that unit.
- Wiring, connector or earth fault. The connector on top of the tank is exposed to water and dirt, and the sender needs a good earth to read right.
- Float arm sticking or damaged. A bent arm, or a dent in the tank, stops the float from following the fuel level.
Typical fixes
- Note how much fuel is in the tank, and whether the gauge matches it.
- Check the sender’s connector and wiring at the tank, and its earth, for corrosion and damage.
- Have the sender checked over its full travel against the values in the service information for your car.
- Replace the sender if the wiring is fine. Fit one specified for your car: a sender with the wrong resistance range gives wrong readings.
Questions
Can I drive with P0460?
Probably for a short time, but have it checked soon. The fuel gauge and the low-fuel warning may be wrong, so you could run out of fuel without warning: fill up early, and keep track of the distance since you last filled up.
Can a faulty fuel level sensor stop the engine?
Not by itself: the engine doesn’t need the sender to run. But a gauge that reads too high can let you run out of fuel. If the engine cuts out with fuel in the tank, have the fuel pump and its wiring checked, which on many cars share the connector with the sender.