P0736: Reverse Incorrect Ratio
What to do
If reverse slips or engages slowly while forward gears are fine, say so explicitly — that combination points at one specific part rather than at the whole gearbox, and it is a considerably smaller job.
What this code means
The measured ratio in reverse does not match what reverse should give. Reverse is applied by its own clutch or band and its own hydraulic circuit, largely separate from the forward gears, which is why it can fail alone while everything else works perfectly — and why losing reverse does not mean the transmission is finished.
A reverse-only fault where all forward gears are correct is a useful, contained finding. It narrows the diagnosis to that one element and its circuit, and on many transmissions the reverse band is adjustable or replaceable without a full rebuild.
Likely causes
Start here
- Low or degraded transmission fluid · easy
- Worn reverse clutch or band · specialist
- Failed shift solenoid · moderate
Less common
- Low transmission line pressure · specialist
- Worn valve body · specialist
Symptoms
Components involved
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.
Community experience
Be the first to write this up
Nothing posted about this yet. Whatever you found is worth writing down — even a dead end saves someone the same afternoon.
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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