30,000 to 50,000 miles is typical. However, constantly exposed to the harsh environment found in an automobile's exhaust system, the oxygen sensor must sustain a constant barrage of harmful exhaust gases, extreme heat and high velocity particles and that is under normal operating conditions.
Sometimes contaminants such as coolant, oil, or silicone particles will find their way to the sensor as well. This contaminates the sensor and renders it inoperable. An oxygen sensor's life is long in some applications and up to 100,000 mile but whether by contamination or normal use, its effectiveness will inevitably decrease over time.
We recognize the need to keep vehicles running clean. A bad oxygen sensor can cause unacceptable emissions levels, affect performance and ultimately damage the catalytic converter. Make it a point to check oxygen sensors at each tune-up and replace faulty sensors with a new oxygen sensor.
