Cause
Low or degraded transmission fluid
The first question on almost every transmission code. The fluid is the hydraulic medium that applies the clutches, the coolant and the lubricant all at once, so a low or worn charge produces slipping, harsh or delayed changes and pressure faults that read as failed parts.
Level and condition are free to check and rule out an enormous amount. A burnt smell and a dark colour mean heat has already been through it, and heat is what turns a fluid service into a rebuild.
Typically a moderate job.
Some of these codes mean you should stop driving
21 of the 239 codes this can cause indicate a fault where continuing to drive risks damage or is unsafe. Which one you have matters more than the cause does — read the code's own page before deciding.
Codes this can cause (239)
Codes where this is a likely explanation first, rather than merely a possible one.
- P0218 Transmission Fluid Temperature Sensor A Over Temperature Condition Likely for this code Stop driving High
- P0700 Transmission Control System (Malfunction Indicator Lamp Request) Likely for this code Moderate
- P0701 Transmission Control System Range/Performance Likely for this code High
- P0716 Input/Turbine Shaft Speed Sensor A Circuit Range/Performance Likely for this code High
- P0729 Gear 6 Incorrect Ratio Likely for this code High
- P0730 Incorrect Gear Ratio Likely for this code High
- P0731 Gear 1 Incorrect Ratio Likely for this code High
- P0732 Gear 2 Incorrect Ratio Likely for this code High
- P0733 Gear 3 Incorrect Ratio Likely for this code High
- P0734 Gear 4 Incorrect Ratio Likely for this code High
- P0735 Gear 5 Incorrect Ratio Likely for this code High
- P0736 Reverse Incorrect Ratio Likely for this code High
- P0740 Torque Converter Clutch Circuit/Open Likely for this code Moderate
- P0741 Torque Converter Clutch Circuit Performance/Stuck Off Likely for this code Moderate
- P0744 Torque Converter Clutch Circuit Intermittent Likely for this code Moderate
- P0745 Pressure Control Solenoid A Likely for this code High
- P0746 Pressure Control Solenoid A Performance or Stuck Off Likely for this code High
- P0751 Shift Solenoid A Performance or Stuck Off Likely for this code High
- P0756 Shift Solenoid B Performance or Stuck Off Likely for this code High
- P0761 Shift Solenoid C Performance or Stuck Off Likely for this code High
- P0766 Shift Solenoid D Performance or Stuck Off Likely for this code High
- P076F Gear 7 Incorrect Ratio Likely for this code Moderate
- P0771 Shift Solenoid E Performance or Stuck Off Likely for this code High
- P0775 Pressure Control Solenoid B Likely for this code High
- P0776 Pressure Control Solenoid B Performance or Stuck Off Likely for this code High
Information, not instruction
CarGeek is a reference, not a service manual. Its pages are written from public sources and from what other people have found, never from a manufacturer's own service information, so they can be wrong or incomplete for your particular vehicle. Some of what they describe carries real risk: high voltage, fuel under pressure, stored energy, hot and moving parts.
Have anything you intend to act on checked by a trained person against the manufacturer's own procedure for your vehicle. Nothing here replaces that procedure.
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What makes one worth reading:
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- What you measured, not only what you replaced.
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