KlaroFault codeP0551
MODERATEPower Steering Pressure Sensor Circuit Range/Performance
What this code means
Power Steering Pressure Sensor Circuit Range/Performance.
P0551 is a generic code: it means the same thing on every make. P0551 belongs to family P05xx — Idle speed and vehicle speed control. Its page explains how to read a code and groups all its codes by part.
Type of fault
The signal stays within its electrical limits, but its value is not plausible: it does not match what the control unit expects given the other sensors. The sensor may be drifting with age, but it may also be faithfully measuring a real mechanical problem — a leak, a blockage, an air leak. Replacing the sensor without checking does not always clear the fault.
Power steering pressure sensor
On hydraulic power steering, this sensor or switch detects the pressure when you turn the wheel. The control unit raises the idle speed slightly to compensate for the load of the pump.
What you notice
Idle speed dipping or the engine stalling when turning the wheel at low speed, during parking.
How to check it
Check the power steering fluid level and look for leaks, then the sensor's connector on the high-pressure pipe. In Klaro, turning the wheel at idle should make the engine speed dip briefly and recover.
What to do
Have it checked this week. The car remains usable, but the fault will not clear itself and will fail the roadworthiness test.
Clearing a code switches the light off but repairs nothing: if the fault remains, the code comes back. Clearing a fault code yourself →
How to read this code
- PPowertrain
- 0standardised code
- 5Idle speed and vehicle speed control
- 51P0551
