Cold weather CEL

Temps here are in MD are 18 to 20 today. I got a CEL when driving this am. The car was not at normal operating temps and is running fine. Can extreme cold cause CEL to come on? I have never seen this before. I am about 500 miles away from 40k service. Never had issues with this car before.

Does the light come on again repeatedly? We got our first CEL ever while driving to VA from IL on the 26th December. Lasted overnight and through the other stops until we reached our destination. Car then sat for 2 days, and when I started, no CEL. And, since my VCDS is loaned out, no way to check codes. Several people have told me that a recurrent CEL is likely the DEF heater in the tank going bad.

Rico567, It stays on. Got more driving to do today. I hope I don't have any other issues..

Throughouth the CEL business, and ever since, the car has performed as always- without a hiccup.

oil full, coolant full= drive er and figure it out later

jrm said:

oil full, coolant full= drive er and figure it out later

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That's what I did when I first got the CEL- all fluids were fine, and have just been driving ever since......

its giving a P205B code. from the frigid temps, I suppose?

Chopdadddy said:

its giving a P205B code. from the frigid temps, I suppose?

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That, or the DEF heater is going out......

Chopdadddy said:

Temps here are in MD are 18 to 20 today. I got a CEL when driving this am. The car was not at normal operating temps and is running fine. Can extreme cold cause CEL to come on? I have never seen this before. I am about 500 miles away from 40k service. Never had issues with this car before.

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A check engine light can come on for any number of reasons. You'll need to scan the computer to find out exactly what the problem on. Simply being cold is not one of the reasons for the check engine light to come on.

my buddy turned it off yesterday. Today, drove a lot.. no CEL!

Chopdadddy said:

my buddy turned it off yesterday. Today, drove a lot.. no CEL!

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How? If with VCDS, did you scan for codes?

tdiatlast, Not sure what scanner he used.. it gave the P205B code..

Chopdadddy said:

tdiatlast, Not sure what scanner he used.. it gave the P205B code..

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That's the code for a bad exhaust fluid temperature sensor. This component has an extended warranty on 2012 - 2014 Passats, but not 2015. If your car is still under the factory warranty, I would recommend visiting your dealer. In all likelihood, your check engine light will return soon.