P287C: Transmission Adaptive Values Not Learned
What to do
Expect missing or refused gears rather than total failure — the box is declining to use gears it cannot confirm. Driving on briefly is usually safe in the gears it still offers, but have it diagnosed soon: what starts as a sensor reading can also be the first sign of a fork or synchroniser wearing, and those get more expensive with every hard shift.
What this code means
The transmission's adaptive values have not been learned.
The module drives this gearbox through learned maps, and "not learned" means the map is missing. Where each fork's neutral truly sits, where each clutch bites, how far each actuator travels — none of it is in the software from the factory. It is measured in place, stored, and refreshed continuously. A part replaced without its teach-in, a module swapped, or a procedure interrupted leaves the module driving blind, and it says so rather than guessing.
The signature is a gearbox that shifts badly immediately after work was done on it — and the fix is the scan-tool calibration procedure, not a second round of parts. Run the learn routine the manufacturer specifies, then judge what remains: a box that still misbehaves after a clean calibration has a real mechanical or hydraulic problem, and now the codes describing it can be trusted.
Likely causes
Start here
- Actuator not calibrated after repair · moderate
- Gearbox actuator calibration lost · moderate
Less common
- Interrupted module programming · specialist
- Battery disconnected or module reprogrammed · easy
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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