DTC P0500: Vehicle Speed Sensor (M/T): Description
WARNING: This page is about a different car, the 2002 Chevrolet Corvette. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.
A toothed wheel mounted on the output shaft of the manual transmission generates an AC voltage pulse as it moves past the Vehicle Speed Sensor (VSS). The VSS contains a permanent magnet surrounded by a coil of wire, which produces a magnetic field. The toothed wheel interrupts the magnetic field which induces AC voltage pulses in the coil. As the vehicle speed increases, the AC voltage pulse rate increases. The PCM supplies the VSS signal to the Body Control Module (BCM), the Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC), and the Electronic Suspension Control Module, if equipped.