P272B: Transmission Range Select Motor Control Circuit Current Too High
What to do
Always apply the parking brake when you park — do not rely on P. The car may not be able to engage or confirm the park lock. When parking, come to a full stop, apply the parking brake, and only then select P; doing it in that order takes the vehicle's weight off the park mechanism and is worth the habit on a slope. Get it diagnosed promptly.
What this code means
The transmission range select motor is drawing more current than expected.
Shift-by-wire replaced the cable from the gear lever with a motor and a conversation.
The lever is now a switch that requests a range, and a motor on the transmission moves the manual valve or selector drum to match. There is no mechanical path from your hand to the gearbox — which is what allows a rotary dial or a set of buttons instead of a lever, and what means the car must confirm every selection electrically.
Excess current means the motor is working against something. That is a mechanical finding rather than an electrical one: the mechanism is stiff, obstructed, or being asked to move when it cannot.
The commonest legitimate cause is parking on a slope. The vehicle's weight loads the pawl against the tooth it dropped into, and the motor may not have the force to withdraw it — which is exactly why the advice for a manual transmission on a hill is to leave it in gear and apply the handbrake, and why an automatic should be brought to a stop on the brake, parking brake applied, and only then put in P. Doing it in that order unloads the pawl and it withdraws freely.
Beyond that: corrosion in the mechanism, a failing motor, or a control module unable to drive it.
Use the parking brake every time while this is stored, and do not assume the car is held by P.
Likely causes
Start here
- Corroded or loose connector · specialist
- Faulty transmission range selector motor · specialist
- Damaged wiring harness · specialist
- Seized or obstructed park mechanism · specialist
Less common
- Faulty transmission control module · specialist
Symptoms
Components involved
Information, not instruction
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