P050A: owner reports and bulletins

Powertrain (generic, all makes). We haven't written the explanation for this code yet. Below is what owners and manufacturers have filed with NHTSA.

Got P050A on your scanner? Tell the mechanic your year, make, model and any symptoms and you'll get the likely cause and what to check first. Ask about this code.

What owners report to NHTSA

26 complaints filed with NHTSA mention P050A, 26 of them since 2015, across 6 different models. The component owners most often filed it under: engine.

Most-reported models

VehicleComplaintsModel years reported
KIA SOUL192014, 2015, 2016
HYUNDAI ACCENT32012

Manufacturer service bulletins that name P050A

12 technical service bulletins and manufacturer communications filed with NHTSA mention P050A, from 5 makes. A bulletin means the manufacturer has documented a known cause or a fix procedure for that model. Examples:

  • FORD RANGER (2019), bulletin 10175888: Some 2019 Ranger vehicles built on or before 14-Jun-2019 may exhibit an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) with diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) P02EE, P02EF, P02F0, P02F1, P050A, P050B, P1026, and/or P051B stor…
  • HYUNDAI SONATA HYBRID (2019), bulletin 10177088: This bulletin provides information related to an Electronic Control Module (ECM) software update to revise the logic for DTC P050A: Cold Start Idle Air Control System Performance.
  • KIA SOUL (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016), bulletin 10201528: TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: 1.6L GDI WITH MIL ON DTC P050A ECM LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SA485) - This bulletin provides the procedure to update the software logic of the Engine Control Module (ECM) system on so…
  • VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS (2018, 2019), bulletin 10166770: Customer states MIL-on with P1429 and/or P0556 Customer states MIL-on with P0133 Customer states MIL-on with P0496 Customer states MIL-on with P050A Customer states MIL-on with P0116 Customer states the rear lift gate ha…
  • VOLKSWAGEN TIGUAN (2019, 2018), bulletin 10167188: Customer states MIL-on with P1429 and/or P0556 Customer states MIL-on with P0133 Customer states MIL-on with P0496 Customer states MIL-on with P050A Customer states MIL-on with P0116 Customer states front window(s) noisy…
  • KIA RIO (2012, 2013, 2014), bulletin 10092144: TSB: ECM UPGRADE RIO, SOUL MIL ON WITH DTC(S) P0456/P0461/P050A/P2188/P2192/P0128/P0326/P0441 - THIS BULLETIN PROVIDES INFORMATION RELATED TO THE ECM SOFTWARE UPGRADE FOR SOME 2012~2014MY RIO (UB), SOME 2012~2013 SOUL (A…

Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint database and manufacturer communications file, snapshots September 2026. A complaint or bulletin that mentions a code is a report about that vehicle, not a statement that the code has one cause.