Possible causes

– Faulty Accelerator Pedal Position Sensor
– Accelerator Pedal Position Sensor harness is open or shorted
– Accelerator Pedal Position Sensor circuit poor electrical connection
– Faulty Electric Throttle Control Actuator

When is the code detected?

The Engine Control Module (ECM) has detected that the APP sensor 1 and APP sensor 2 disagree more than 4.5 percent for less than 1 second

Symptoms

– Engine Light ON (or Service Engine Soon Warning Light)

P2138 BUICK Description

The Accelerator Pedal Position (APP) sensor is made up of 2 sensors that are housed inside one assembly. The Engine Control Module (ECM) supplies a separate 5-volt reference circuit and a low reference circuit for each of the sensors. The 5-volt reference for APP sensor 1 is supplied from the same source in the ECM as the 5-volt reference for the mass air flow (MAF) sensor and the fuel tank pressure (FTP) sensor. The 5-volt reference voltage for all of the sensors is supplied on separate ECM terminals, but the terminals are connected internally to a voltage supply. The APP sensor 1 sends a signal from the sensor to the ECM indicating the accelerator pedal position. The ECM actuates the throttle plates based on this information. If the ECM detects that the APP sensors are not within a predicted value from each other, DTC P2138 sets.

BUICK Technical Service Bulletins for P2138 code