P2589: Turbocharger Boost Control Position Sensor B Circuit High
What to do
The engine will feel flat, possibly with a reduced power warning.
If any work has recently been done around either turbocharger, the exhaust gas recirculation valve or the manifold, say so straight away. This connector is regularly unplugged to reach those parts and is easy to leave off in a space nobody can see into. That check is free.
And one that is specific to a car with two turbochargers: if both sides were disturbed, ask for it to be confirmed that the two position sensor plugs have not been swapped. They are often the same connector, so nothing stops each being fitted to the other sensor, and everything looks perfectly assembled afterwards. The codes that result blame parts that are in good condition.
What this code means
The second turbocharger's vane position circuit reads above its valid range — an open circuit, a disconnected connector, or a short to supply.
The outcome matches P2588: no trustworthy feedback, so no closed-loop control of that turbocharger, so a default vane position and a flat engine.
The free thing to eliminate first is a disconnected plug, for the reason given at P2565 — this connector is routinely unplugged to reach the turbocharger, the exhaust gas recirculation valve or the manifold, and it sits in a tight, hot space that cannot be inspected without a mirror.
On a twin-turbo engine there is a second version of that mistake, and it is worth naming because it is invisible: the two connectors can be swapped. The A and B sensors are frequently the same part with the same plug, so after work that disturbed both there is nothing physical to prevent each being reconnected to the other's sensor. Everything looks correctly assembled. The module then reads each turbocharger's position through the other's circuit, and the codes that follow point confidently at hardware that is perfectly good. If both sides were disturbed, confirming which loom goes where is worth doing before any part is bought.
Likely causes
Start here
- Disconnected sensor connector · easy
- Open circuit in sensor wiring · moderate
- Faulty turbocharger vane position sensor · moderate
Less common
- Sensor connectors swapped during repair · easy
- Heat damage to sensor or wiring · moderate
- Wiring shorted to voltage · moderate
Symptoms
Components involved
Information, not instruction
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Community experience
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