U0033
Vehicle Communication Bus A (-) Open
The communication bus A low-side line (CAN-L) is open — broken wire, unplugged connector, or terminator missing.
- Check engine light: Yes
- Emissions related: No
- Repair difficulty: hard
Symptoms
- Multiple warning lights may illuminate
- Affected modules may go into limp mode or shut down
- Specific functions inoperative depending on module
- Diagnostic tools may show communication faults
Common causes
Ordered by how often each turns out to be the cause.
- CAN-L wire broken or unpluggedCommon
- Gateway module routing CAN messages incorrectlyLess likely
- CAN terminating resistor (120 Ω) drifted out of specLess likely
Parts involved
- Bus A Wiring
- Bus A Terminator
U0033 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.