Technical Bulletin
Model(s)

Year

Engine Code

Trans. Code

VIN Range From

VIN Range To

All (Except
Routan)

2008-2014

All Gasoline
Engines

All

All

All

Condition
01 13 14 May 9, 2013 2033805
Engine, Misfire Diagnostic Aid
The MIL is flashing or illuminated.

One or more of the following DTCs are stored in the ECM fault memory:

DTC

Description

P0300

Random/Multiple Cylinder Misfire Detected

P0301-P0308

Cyl.1 Misfire Detected – Cyl.8 Misfire Detected

P130A

Hide Cylinder

Engine may also exhibit reduced performance without significant loss of power.
Note:
Multiple components SHOULD NOT be replaced for 1 misfiring cylinder.

Technical Background
Misfire faults have commonly been related to conditions such as:
• Loose or damaged electrical connections
• Circuit grounds
• Poor fuel quality

Production Solution
Not applicable.
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© 2013 Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other
intellectual property rights of Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice.
No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or
otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the publisher.

Technical Bulletin
Service
• There can be multiple causes for engine misfire, ensure all campaigns and applicable technical service
bulletins (TSBs) have been performed.
• Repeat repairs must be carefully addressed to identify the root cause of the concern. Utilize proper diagnosis
steps to ensure that the concern has been identified, vehicle is repaired properly, and that the repair is verified.
• To repair the vehicle correctly, obtain as much information as possible from the customer about the symptoms
of the condition and when it occurred.
•

In what situation (turning, acceleration, rolling stop, etc.) does the condition occur?

• Under what environmental conditions (road conditions, weather, temperature, start conditions, etc.) does the
condition occur?
• What is the operating situation of the vehicle (activated electrical equipment, gear selection, etc.) when the
condition occurs?
• Can the complaint be reproduced?

Workshop procedure
1. Read out the data memory of engine control module, and note the environmental conditions on the DTC log.
a. If there are other entries in addition to combustion misfires, address the other entries before addressing the
cylinder misfires.
b. If DTC P0301 – P0308 (Cyl.1 Misfire Detected - Cyl.8 Misfire Detected) is accompanied by P1250 (Fuel level
too low), it is likely the faults occurred due to low fuel level, and not a component malfunction.
c. Review all applicable TSBs related to cylinder misfires and ECM software improvements before diagnosing the
misfire condition.
2. Try to duplicate customer complaint based on the environmental conditions at the time the DTC was set. The
freeze-frame data gives important indicators for the traceability of the complaint, in particular, if it occurs
sporadically or at cold start.
Note:
If cylinder misfire faults are sporadic and a P130A Hide Cylinder fault is not present, it is likely that the misfires
may be caused by poor fuel quality, and are not related to a faulty component.
The fault memory should be cleared and the vehicle test driven to verify that the misfire faults do not return.
3. Review the vehicle repair history for previous misfire or maintenance service that could be related to the current
complaint.
4. Observe the requirements of Guided Fault Finding. Perform Guided Fault Finding in full, according to the
proposed sequence (test plan). DO NOT skip any steps.
5. Complete Guided Fault Finding correctly and set the readiness code.
• A Proper GFF misfire diagnosis must be followed before replacing any components.
Page 2 of 5
© 2013 Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other
intellectual property rights of Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice.
No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or
otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the publisher.

Technical Bulletin
Tip:
This is important to ensure that no subsequent faults occur due to the misfire.
6. In the case of single cylinder misfires:
a. Before replacing components, determine whether the misfire migrates to other cylinders after swapping
components between cylinders (spark plugs, ignition coils and fuel injectors if practical). If necessary, perform a
test drive to ascertain this.
b. If the misfire migrates and follows a specific component:
• Interrupt and resume GFF during component swap, re-read the DTC memory indicating that the fault changed
cylinders.
• Replace the defective part.
c. If the misfire does not migrate:
• Interrupt and resume GFF during component swap, re-read the DTC memory indicating that the fault did not
change cylinders.
• If fuel injectors were not previously swapped between cylinders, a fuel injector internal leakage test should be
performed to verify if an internally leaking fuel injector is causing the misfire fault.
• If the fuel injectors pass the internal leakage test, or if the fuel injectors were swapped and the misfire remains
steady, a cylinder compression test should be performed and repairs diagnosed as necessary.
7. In the case of multiple cylinder misfires:
a. Before replacing multiple components, determine whether misfire faults are attributed to other possible
issues. For example, if data shows that the DTCs were sporadic, search ElsaWeb for TSBs related to cylinder
misfires or ECM software improvements before diagnosing the misfire condition.
b. Check to verify if one component may be influencing multiple cylinders. Use misfire monitor in GFF to determine
if misfires are continuous (which may indicate a faulty component), or sporadic (which may indicate other possible
issues).
c. Determine whether the misfires migrate to the other cylinders after exchanging components. If necessary,
perform a test drive to ascertain this.
d. If the misfire migrates and follows a specific component:
• Interrupt and resume GFF during component swap, re-read the DTC memory indicating that the fault changed
cylinders.
• Replace the defective part.
e. If the misfire does not migrate:
• Interrupt and resume GFF during component swap, re-read the DTC memory indicating that the fault did not
change cylinders.
• If fuel injectors were not previously swapped between cylinders, a fuel injector internal leakage test should be
performed to verify if an internally leaking fuel injector is causing the misfire fault.
• If the fuel injectors pass the internal leakage test, or if the fuel injectors were swapped and the misfire remains
steady, a cylinder compression test should be performed and repairs diagnosed as necessary.
Page 3 of 5
© 2013 Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other
intellectual property rights of Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice.
No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or
otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the publisher.

Technical Bulletin
8. Interrupt and resume GFF during any component swap, and then re-read DTC memory indicating that the fault
either changed cylinders or did not return.
a. If misfires are determined to be related to a specific component(s) (fuel injector, spark plug, ignition coil),
replace only one defective component at a time and re-evaluate the concern.
Note:
If it is determined through Guided Fault Finding that a component has caused a misfire, the repair should only
include the component causing the misfire.
All fuel injector, spark plug, or ignition coil replacements must accompany a corresponding misfiring cylinder to
avoid unnecessary part replacement.
Misfire code P0300 – random/multiple cylinder misfire is not a probable cause to replace all fuel injectors, spark
plugs, or ignition coils. A cylinder specific P030X fault (P0301-P0308) should always accompany a misfiring
cylinder.
9. Verify repair under the same environmental conditions (e.g.: engine speed, engine load value, vehicle speed,
coolant temperature, intake air temperature, ambient air pressure, voltage at terminal 30, etc.) as noted on the
DTC log.

Warranty
Information only.
Note:
If a fuel injector, spark plug, or ignition coil is replaced for a misfire concern, the failed component must have a
misfire code (P0301-P0308) related to the misfiring cylinder.
Misfire code P0300 – random/multiple cylinder misfire must have the affected cylinder identified for
reimbursement.
Tip:
For warranty reimbursement, the Guided Fault Finding log identifying that the issue either changed cylinders
during the test, or shows a failed fuel injector internal leakage test, must be available upon request.
Each part replaced must have a corresponding misfire fault on the documented Guided Fault Finding log for
reimbursement.

Page 4 of 5
© 2013 Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other
intellectual property rights of Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice.
No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or
otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the publisher.

Technical Bulletin
Required Parts and Tools
No special parts required.
No special tools required.

Additional Information
All part and service references provided in this Technical Bulletin are subject to change and/or removal.
Always check with your Parts Dept. and Repair Manuals for the latest information.

Page 5 of 5
© 2013 Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other
intellectual property rights of Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice.
No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or
otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the publisher.