Fuel and air

P0208 — Injector Circuit Malfunction, Cylinder 8

Severity: medium Drive with care, to a shop

What P0208 means

The engine control module fires the cylinder 8 injector by switching its circuit to ground through a driver, and it monitors current and voltage in that circuit. P0208 sets when the readings don't match expectations, such as an open, a short or abnormal resistance. The cylinder may then get the wrong amount of fuel, or none.

Symptoms

  • Check Engine light on
  • Rough idle and engine vibration
  • Cylinder 8 misfire, often with P0308
  • Reduced power and sluggish acceleration
  • Worse fuel economy
  • Hard starting
  • Fuel smell if the cylinder floods

Possible causes

  1. Failed cylinder 8 fuel injector (open or shorted coil)
  2. Damaged injector wiring harness (open, short, chafed insulation)
  3. Corroded or loose injector connector
  4. Poor contact at the ECM connector
  5. Internal injector driver failure in the ECM (less common)

How to diagnose

  1. Read all codes and freeze frame data, and look for P0308 or other injector codes
  2. Inspect the cylinder 8 injector connector and harness for corrosion, heat damage and chafing
  3. Measure injector coil resistance and compare to spec and to the other injectors
  4. Check for power and a control signal at the connector with a multimeter, test light or scope
  5. Test the wiring from injector to ECM for opens and shorts to ground or power
  6. Swap the injector with a neighboring cylinder and see whether the fault follows it
  7. Check fuel pressure and fuel trim values
  8. If wiring and injector test good, evaluate the ECM and its connector

Common fixes

  • Clean or replace the injector connector
  • Repair the damaged section of the harness
  • Replace the cylinder 8 fuel injector
  • Repair or replace the ECM if a driver fault is confirmed

P0208 on different brands

Ford · manuals
Ford uses the extended format P0208:92 on 2024-2025 gasoline engines to mean cylinder 8 injector circuit range/performance; it names the monitor condition that was detected, not a confirmed failed part.

Questions and answers

What does P0208 mean?

It is an electrical fault in the cylinder 8 fuel injector circuit. The control module saw current or voltage that doesn't match what it expects and logged the code.

Can I drive with P0208?

Only for a short trip, such as to a shop. Running long with a misfire can damage the catalytic converter and increase cylinder wear.

Do I always need a new injector?

No. The connector or wiring is often at fault, so test the circuit and injector resistance before replacing parts.

This is general information about the code. The meaning can differ between makes and models: a scan tool and the repair manual for your car will show the exact cause.