What are the symptoms of a faulty rear oxygen sensor?
2 Answers
A faulty rear oxygen sensor in the engine can cause the engine malfunction light to illuminate, and may lead to symptoms such as vehicle shaking with a jerking sensation, insufficient power, popping sounds from the exhaust, strong unpleasant odors, car jerking, slow acceleration, inability to pick up speed, and increased fuel consumption. The rear oxygen sensor detects the oxygen content in the purified exhaust gas and feeds this information back to the ECU. The computer then compares the data from the front oxygen sensor. If the data from the front and rear oxygen sensors are the same (generally, the front oxygen sensor signal is greater than the rear), it can be concluded that the three-way catalytic converter has failed.
Hey, I've been driving for over 20 years. After the rear oxygen sensor went bad, the car clearly lost power and felt sluggish during acceleration, like it's dragging its feet even when you step on the gas. Fuel consumption will skyrocket—last year when my old car's sensor had issues, I spent over 300 bucks more on gas in just one month. The check engine light on the dashboard will almost always come on, reminding you to get it checked ASAP. At idle, the engine shakes badly, and sometimes it even stalls at red lights—super embarrassing. The exhaust smell also gets weird, like burning plastic, which affects air quality. If left unrepaired, long-term damage includes reduced engine efficiency, faster fuel burning, and potential catalytic converter failure, leading to even costlier repairs. I recommend using an OBD scanner to read trouble codes like P0135 and replace it early once confirmed.
