Methods and systems are provided for determining engine knock sensor degradation. In one example, a method may include sending an excitation signal to an actuator to generate vibrations in the absence of engine combustion, and determining engine knock sensor degradation by comparing the knock sensor output with the excitation signal.

A method of diagnosing a knock sensor includes steps of receiving data from the knock sensor, the knock sensor configured to be coupled to an engine, processing the data to derive one or more events from the data, and determining whether the one or more events took place at a known time or a known crank position.