P0345 on a Ford F-150
P0345 means camshaft Position Sensor A Circuit (Bank 2). On the F-150, a few causes come up far more than others.
What P0345 usually means on a F-150
P0345 is the bank-2 version of the camshaft position sensor circuit fault, so on the Triton V8 it points at the driver's-side cylinder head's sensor, phaser, or wiring. The failure story is the same as its bank-1 sibling: variable cam timing wear and oil-fed solenoids, not just a bad sensor. Seeing P0345 alone (rather than both banks) usually narrows the hunt to one head's hardware or harness. It often rides along with a cold-start rattle and occasional rough running.
Most common causes on the F-150
- Bank-2 VCT phaser wear (5.4L 3V)
The driver-side phaser rattles and loses its timing reference as it wears, which is the leading cause on a high-mileage 3-valve Triton and the reason a sensor swap alone often fails.
- Bank-2 cam position sensor failure
The individual sensor can die, and because it is bank-specific, a P0345 with no bank-1 code is a good reason to test and replace just that side's sensor first.
- Oil-fouled connector on the bank-2 sensor
A weeping valve cover gasket contaminates the driver-side sensor plug and corrodes the pins, dropping the signal on that bank only.
- Sticking bank-2 VCT solenoid
Sludge holds the solenoid open or closed, so cam timing on that head drifts out of range and the PCM flags the correlation as a sensor circuit fault.
- Timing chain wear on the affected bank
Worn chain and tensioner on the driver's side retards cam timing enough to trip P0345 on a very high-mileage engine.
What P0345 costs to fix on a F-150
Because P0345 is bank-specific, you can sometimes limit repairs to one head, which is cheaper than doing both. Even so, a real phaser or chain repair on the 5.4L 3V is labor-heavy and typically runs into four figures once you include solenoids and gaskets. Ruling out the inexpensive sensor and cleaning the connector first is the smart order of operations here.
Fixing it
Confirm whether both banks or only bank 2 are flagged, then focus on the driver's side. If the connector is oily, fix the valve cover leak too so a new sensor does not get contaminated again.
For the full step-by-step diagnosis order (any vehicle), see the main P0345 guide.
Year, engine and mileage change the answer. Start a case and Redline weighs these causes against what your car shows, then names the check that would settle it.
Other codes on the Ford F-150
Ford F-150 problems & recalls by year
Based on widely reported patterns for this model; individual causes vary by year, engine and history. Generic P0345 behavior is covered on the main P0345 page. Confirm with a scan tool before buying parts.
P0345 on your F-150?
Every problem becomes a Case. Tell Redline what your F-150 is doing: it shows what the evidence supports, what’s still missing, and what to check next, before you approve a repair.
“Inner pad ~1 mm. Outer pad 3 mm.”
Next: check the slide pins move freely before buying parts.