P3481
Cylinder 10 Deactivation
The engine control module has detected a fault in the cylinder 10 deactivation system. Found on V10/V12 engines — cylinder 10 cannot reliably switch state.
- Check engine light: Yes
- Emissions related: Yes
- Repair difficulty: hard
Common causes
Ordered by how often each turns out to be the cause.
- Deactivation solenoid failedCommon
- Lifter stuckPossible
Parts involved
- Cylinder Deactivation Solenoid
- Lifter
- Engine Wiring Harness
P3481 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.