The oxygen sensor is one of the most essential sensors that check the air-fuel ratio via exhaust emissions. The oxygen sensor in the vehicle’s exhaust system sends the data it has gathered to the Electronic Control Unit, which uses it to control how much fuel and air to be supplied into the engine for combustion. This prevents the engine from operating excessively rich or lean (with too much or not enough fuel), which further aids in limiting emissions. So, in this guide, you will know why you need to replace a faulty oxygen sensor, and how much you will need to spend to replace an oxygen sensor in your vehicle.
In this article:
1. Why You Need To Replace An Oxygen In Your Vehicle?
- Reduced Fuel Mileage
- Engine Check Light Shows Up
- Rough Engine Idling
- Low Engine Performance
- Black Exhaust Fumes Coming Out Of Tailpipe
2. How Much Does Oxygen Sensor Replacement Cost?
1 Why You Need To Replace An Oxygen In Your Vehicle?
Oxygen sensors, unlike brake pads or engine oil, do not require routine maintenance or replacement. But when your oxygen sensor fails, it’s just a matter of time before you need to replace it after you see some of the following symptoms:
Reduced Fuel Mileage
The oxygen sensor assists in calculating the amount of fuel and oxygen that should be fed into the combustion chamber in order to power your car. If the oxygen sensor isn’t working properly, you can have a rich fuel mixture that puts too much gasoline into the combustion chamber. This will cause your car to use more fuel quickly. This is the first and most noticeable sign that your car’s oxygen sensor isn’t working properly and needs to be replaced.
Engine Check Light Shows Up
The oxygen sensor has a strong influence over the air-fuel mixture of the combustion process. The engine control module attempts to correct if the oxygen sensor detects there is less oxygen in the exhaust gasses after combustion. However, if the oxygen sensor is not functioning properly, the engine control module won’t know how to correct this problem. As a result, the engine’s performance will decrease and this causes the Check Engine Warning Light to illuminate on the dashboard. As soon as Check Engine Warning Light comes on, contact a professional automotive technician for a Check Engine Light inspection. Diagnostic trouble codes P0030, P0031, P0130, P0131, P0132, P0133, P0134, P0137, P0140, P0141, P0161, or P0172 on the OBDII Diagnostic Scanner indicate that your vehicle’s oxygen sensor is failing.
Rough Engine Idling
A rough idling of an engine occurs when the engine does not run steadily when the vehicle is parked or stopped. The normal engine idling rate is under 1000 RPM, but if it shoots up to 2,000 or 3,000 (you can see this on the vehicle dashboard), then the engine is in rough idling condition. If your vehicle experiences rough idling it means that your vehicle’s oxygen sensor may be faulty and needs to be checked.
Low Engine Performance
A bad oxygen sensor causes combustion difficulties and an imbalanced air-fuel ratio that causes low engine performance. Due to the low engine performance, episodes of engine misfiring, engine idling, and stalling also occur. So faulty oxygen sensors always have to be replaced.
Black Exhaust Fumes Coming Out Of Tailpipe
With faulty oxygen sensors, the air and fuel mixture inside your engine becomes unbalanced, which leads to reduced combustion efficiency, resulting in unburned fuel and soot-like smoke being released from the vehicle’s tailpipe. The soot-like smoke released from the vehicle causes pollution in the environment.
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2 How Much Does Oxygen Sensor Replacement Cost?
The price range for oxygen sensors varies from $CAD 19 to $CAD 793 on the PartsAvatar website. However, depending on the vehicle model and brand, you can buy a brand new oxygen sensor from our website, based on your budget and requirement.
| Models | Labour Cost In US$ | Dealership Cost (Excluding Labour) In US$ | Partsavatar Cost For A Vehicle Manufactured In 2017 (Excluding Labour) In CAD$ | Partsavatar Cost For A Vehicle Manufactured In 2020 (Excluding Labour) In CAD$ |
| GMC Sierra 1500 | $45 and $57 | $229 and $257 | $51.46 – $ 89.92 | $ 67.01 – $ 174.43 |
| Chevrolet Silverado 1500 | $45 and $57 | $236 and $259 | $ 51.46 – $ 89.92 | $ 67.01 – $ 174.43 |
| Dodge Ram 1500 | $38 and $48 | $277 and $377 | $ 46.51- $ 217.57 | $ 58.09 – $ 66.80 |
| Ford F150 | $47 and $60 | $232 and $259 | $ 59.4 – $ 182.60 | $ 59.40 – $ 221.19 |
| Toyota Corolla | $94 and $119 | $300 and $313 | $ 49.60 – $ 237.98 | $ 111.97 -$ 203.66 |
| Ford Escape | $111 and $140 | $155 and $166 | $ 47.48 – $ 182.60 | $ 93.23 – $ 182.60 |
| Honda Civic | $49 and $62 | $306 and $320 | $ 59.75 – $ 568.84 | $ 59.75 – $ 568.84 |
| Hyundai Elantra | $39 and $50 | $247 and $272 | $ 85.09 – $ 177.58 | $ 87.46 – $ 177.58 |
| Mitsubishi Outlander | $65 and $81 | $911 and $1,043 | $ 54.76 – $ 248.89 | $ 54.76 – $ 248.89 |
| Dodge Charger | $40 and $51 | $233 and $247 | $ 46.51 – $ 217.77 | $ 46.51 – $ 217.77 |
| GMC Acadia | $44 and $56 | $399 and $416 | $ 50.97 – $ 78.71 | $ 50.97 $ $ 78.71 |
| Chrysler 300 Series | $42 and $53 | $192 and $214 | $ 46.51- $ 87.78 | $ 46.51- $ 87.78 |
| GMC Savana 2500 | $44 and $56 | $222 and $232 | $ 51.46 – $ 89.92 | $ 51.46 – $ 89.92 |
| Chevrolet Impala | $44 and $56 | $308 and $391 | $ 57.16 – $ 98.18 | $ 63.86 – $ 98.18 |
| Chevrolet Malibu | $38 and $47 | $138 and $140 | $ 57.16 – $ 174.43 | $ 57.16 – $ 174.43 |
| Ford Fusion | $40 and $51 | $190 and $215 | $ 44.24 -$ 182.60 | $ 47.78 – $ 182.60 |
The cost of replacing an oxygen sensor varies based on your vehicle and the oxygen sensor’s brand. It is always recommended that drivers buy good quality oxygen brands since the oxygen sensor is an important part of the vehicle. Below is a list of price distribution for some key brands.
| Brand | Price In CAD$ |
| Walker Products | $ 30.97- $ 422.40 |
| Bosch | $ 26.05 – $ 680.46 |
| Denso | $ 18.45 – $ 633.57 |
| Ngk Canada | $ 27.19 – $ 311.86 |
| Spectra Premium Industries | $ 29.46 – $ 545.47 |
| Delphi | $ 29.14 – $ 402.79 |
| Motorcraft | $ 48.47- $ 271.46 |
| Mando | $ 91.02 – $ 218.81 |
| Vemo | $ 73.74 – $ 792.89 |
| Auto | $ 130.38 – $ 253.01 |
| Encore Automotive | $ 142.05 – $ 413.28 |
| Hella | $ 110.04 – $ 166.53 |
| Blue Streak (Hygrade Motor) | $ 64.59 – $ 112.65 |
| AEM Electronics | $ 153.76- $ 210.86 |
| ACDELCO Professional | $ 95.93- $ 392.75 |
| Crown Automotive Jeep Replacement | $ 66.87- $ 104.76 |
