Fault codes › Powertrain › Generic (SAE standard) › Fuel and air metering › Oxygen sensor circuits
P0133 Oxygen sensor slow response (bank 1, sensor 1)
Needs attention Have it looked at soon. The car is usually driveable with care in the meantime.
What does P0133 mean?
P0133 is a generic powertrain code, defined by the SAE standard, so it means the same thing on every make and model: oxygen sensor slow response (bank 1, sensor 1). It belongs to the fuel and air metering group of codes.
A control module stores the code when something it watches stays outside what it expects for long enough. On its own the code says which system complained, not which part has failed — the causes below, most likely first, are where to start.
Is it safe to drive with P0133?
Needs attention. Driveable; replace the sensor at the next service.
Common causes of P0133
- Aged or contaminated oxygen sensor.
- Silicone or oil contamination.
- Small exhaust leak.
Symptoms
- Worse fuel economy.
- Marginal emissions test.
What to check first
- Sensor response time on a live graph.
- Exhaust leaks before the sensor.
Can I just clear P0133?
You can, and the light goes out — but a fault that is still there sets the code again, often within a drive or two. Clearing also erases the freeze frame (what the engine was doing when the code was stored) and resets the emissions readiness monitors, so an MOT, smog or inspection test will wait until they have run again. Fix the cause first, then clear it, then watch whether it returns.
Read and clear P0133 from your iPhone with OBDTrip
Plug a Bluetooth OBD-II adapter into the car and OBDTrip reads every stored, pending and permanent code, explains each one in plain English like this, shows what the engine was doing when it was set, and clears the check engine light once the fault is fixed. It keeps a history of when each code comes back, and records every drive on its own from then on.
Needs a Bluetooth Low Energy adapter such as the Vgate iCar Pro — which adapters work with iPhone. Reading and clearing codes is part of an OBDTrip subscription.
Related codes
- P0100 Mass air flow circuit
- P0101 Mass air flow circuit range/performance
- P0102 Mass air flow circuit low input
- P0113 Intake air temperature circuit high input
- P0116 Coolant temperature circuit range/performance
- P0117 Coolant temperature circuit low input
General guidance from OBDTrip's fault-code catalogue, not a diagnosis of your car. When a code points to brakes, steering, overheating or a flashing check engine light, have the car looked at before driving on.