Ignition

P0310 — Cylinder 10 Misfire Detected

Severity: medium Drive with care, to a shop

What P0310 means

The engine control unit watches crankshaft speed through the crankshaft position sensor. When cylinder 10 fails to give the crank its expected push after a combustion event, the PCM counts a misfire and stores P0310. The cause can be weak spark, poor fuel delivery, low compression or a vacuum leak. Only engines with ten or more cylinders (such as V10 and V12) have a cylinder 10.

Symptoms

  • Rough or unstable idle
  • Engine shaking or vibration
  • Loss of power and sluggish acceleration
  • Check engine light on, or flashing under load
  • Worse fuel economy
  • Hesitation or stumbling when accelerating
  • May appear together with P0300

Possible causes

  1. Worn or faulty spark plug in cylinder 10
  2. Failed ignition coil on cylinder 10
  3. Faulty or clogged fuel injector for cylinder 10
  4. Low compression (valves, rings, head gasket)
  5. Damaged wiring or poor connector contact at the coil or injector
  6. Vacuum leak near that cylinder's intake runner
  7. Crankshaft or camshaft position sensor problems

How to diagnose

  1. Read all codes and freeze frame data to see the RPM and load when the misfire occurred
  2. Check per-cylinder misfire counters to confirm cylinder 10 is the problem
  3. Inspect the coil and injector connectors and wiring for cylinder 10
  4. Pull and inspect the cylinder 10 spark plug, checking gap and electrode wear
  5. Swap the coil (and plug) with another cylinder and see if the misfire follows
  6. Test the injector: resistance, operation and cylinder balance
  7. Look for vacuum leaks in the intake, for example with a smoke machine
  8. If electrical checks pass, run a compression test and a cylinder leak-down test

Common fixes

  • Replace the cylinder 10 spark plug
  • Replace the cylinder 10 ignition coil
  • Clean or replace the cylinder 10 fuel injector
  • Repair damaged wiring or connectors
  • Fix the mechanical engine fault (valves, rings, head gasket)

P0310 on different brands

Ford · manuals
Ford uses the P0310:00 format on its 2024–2025 gasoline engines to report a general and specific cylinder misfire; it identifies the monitor condition that was detected, not a confirmed failed part.

Questions and answers

Can I drive with a P0310 code?

If the light is steady and the engine runs reasonably well, you can drive gently to a shop. If the light is flashing, stop, because the catalytic converter can overheat quickly.

What most often causes P0310?

Most often it is the spark plug or ignition coil on cylinder 10. Check those first by swapping parts between cylinders.

Will the code clear by itself?

The light may go out if the misfire stops for several drive cycles, but the cause is still there. It's best to diagnose and fix it.

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.