P0723: Output Shaft Speed Sensor Circuit Intermittent
What to do
If the speedometer drops to zero for a moment while driving and warning lights flicker, that is this fault. Note whether it happens over bumps, when hot, or on a particular manoeuvre — each points somewhere different.
What this code means
The output shaft speed signal drops out briefly and returns. Because the transmission, speedometer and stability systems all depend on it, a momentary loss produces a momentary cascade — the speedometer flicks to zero, warning lights blink on, and the transmission may take a protective shift into a fixed gear before recovering a few seconds later.
That is alarming to experience and easy to dismiss once it passes. It is worth catching, because the sensor and harness faults behind it get worse rather than better, and because a stability control system that briefly believes the vehicle has stopped while it is cornering is not a good thing to leave in the system.
Likely causes
Start here
- Damaged transmission wiring harness · moderate
- Corroded transmission connector · moderate
- Faulty output speed sensor · moderate
Less common
- Incorrect sensor air gap · moderate
- Worn engine or transmission mounts · moderate
Symptoms
Components involved
Information, not instruction
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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.
Community experience
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What makes one worth reading:
- The car — make, model, year and engine. The same fault behaves differently on each.
- What you measured, not only what you replaced.
- What actually fixed it — or that nothing did, which is worth knowing too.
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