P0441: Evaporative Emission System Incorrect Purge Flow
What to do
Usually driveable. If the engine idles roughly or is hard to restart immediately after filling up, mention that specifically — it points at the purge valve rather than a leak.
What this code means
Vapour is not moving from the canister to the intake in the quantity expected. Purge flow is commanded by the module through the purge valve, and it verifies the flow indirectly — by watching fuel trim change as stored vapour arrives, or by monitoring tank pressure as the system is drawn down.
Unlike most evaporative faults, this one can produce a symptom. A purge valve stuck open lets vapour into the intake continuously, including at idle where the engine is least able to tolerate it, giving a rough or surging idle and sometimes a stall. It also makes a hot restart difficult after refuelling, because the canister has just been loaded with vapour and is dumping it straight into the manifold.
Likely causes
Start here
- Faulty EVAP purge valve · easy
- Blocked or restricted purge line · moderate
- Cracked or perished EVAP hose · moderate
Less common
- Faulty EVAP vent valve · moderate
- Saturated charcoal canister · moderate
- Faulty fuel tank pressure sensor · moderate
Symptoms
Components involved
Information, not instruction
CarGeek is a reference, not a service manual. Its pages are written from public sources and from what other people have found, never from a manufacturer's own service information, so they can be wrong or incomplete for your particular vehicle. Some of what they describe carries real risk: high voltage, fuel under pressure, stored energy, hot and moving parts.
Have anything you intend to act on checked by a trained person against the manufacturer's own procedure for your vehicle. Nothing here replaces that procedure.
Community experience
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