P3403
Cylinder 1 Deactivation Stuck On
The engine control module has detected that cylinder 1 remains deactivated when activation is commanded — the deactivation hardware is stuck in the off state. Symptoms include rough running and reduced power.
- Check engine light: Yes
- Emissions related: Yes
- Repair difficulty: hard
Common causes
Ordered by how often each turns out to be the cause.
- Lifter stuck collapsedCommon
- Solenoid stuck in deactivation positionPossible
- Carbon or debris buildup preventing free movementLess likely
Parts involved
- Cylinder Deactivation Solenoid
- Lifter
P3403 is a generic OBD-II code defined by SAE J2012. Exact wording and diagnostic procedure vary by manufacturer and model. Code definitions are drawn from the public-domain OBDex dataset; the workshop notes are our own.