P0701
Transmission Control System Range/Performance
- Severity
- High
- Driving
- Drive only to a garage
The transmission control system is working electrically but not behaving as the module expects - shifts happening at the wrong time, taking too long, or not happening at all. This is a performance complaint about the system as a whole rather than a fault named to one component, and on a high-mileage automatic it usually comes down to fluid condition or internal wear rather than an electrical failure.
Possible causes
- CommonLow or badly degraded transmission fluid
- CommonInternal wear - clutches, bands or a worn valve body
- CommonSticking valve in the valve body
- PossibleFailing shift or pressure control solenoid
- PossibleFluid of the wrong specification fitted at a previous service
- PossibleAdaptation values learned around a fault and never reset
What you might notice
- Harsh, delayed or flaring shifts
- Transmission stuck in one gear - limp mode
- Slipping under load
- Check engine light on
What to check, in order
- Check the fluid level and condition first. It is the cheapest check and it explains more transmission complaints than every electrical fault combined.
- Read all stored codes from the transmission module. A solenoid or sensor code alongside this one usually names the real fault.
- Ask what fluid was used at the last service. Fitting a fluid of the wrong specification causes exactly these symptoms, and it is one of the most common DIY errors on modern automatics.
- Check whether the transmission has ever been serviced. Fluid that is dark and smells burnt indicates internal wear that a code cannot see.
- Check whether an adaptation reset is specified after repair. A module that has spent months adapting around a fault keeps using those values until it is reset.
Read this code from your own car
Plug an ELM327 adapter into the OBD-II port under the dashboard. Pin16 reads every stored, pending and permanent code, explains each one like this page does — offline, with no account — and shows what the car recorded when the fault was set.
Where this code sits
P00xxP01xxP02xxP03xxP04xxP05xxP06xxP07xxP08xxP09xxP0AxxP0BxxP0CxxP0DxxP0ExxP0FxxP10xxP11xxP12xxP13xxP14xxP15xxP16xxP17xxP18xxP19xxP1AxxP1BxxP1CxxP1DxxP1ExxP1FxxP20xxP21xxP22xxP23xxP24xxP25xxP26xxP27xxP28xxP29xxP2AxxP2BxxP2CxxP2DxxP2ExxP2FxxP30xxP31xxP32xxP33xxP34xxP35xxP36xxP37xxP38xxP39xxP3AxxP3BxxP3CxxP3DxxP3ExxP3Fxx
Transmission
P0700P0701P0702P0703P0704P0705P0706P0707P0708P0709P0710P0711P0712P0713P0714P0715P0716P0717P0718P0719P0720P0721P0722P0723P0724P0725P0726P0727P0728P0729P0730P0731P0732P0733P0734P0735P0736P0737P0738P0739P0740P0741P0742P0743P0744P0745P0746P0747P0748P0749P0750P0751P0752P0753P0754P0755P0756P0757P0758P0759P0760P0761P0762P0763P0764P0765P0766P0767P0768P0769P0770P0771P0772P0773P0774P0775P0776P0777P0778P0779P0780P0781P0782P0783P0784P0785P0786P0787P0788P0789P0790P0791P0792P0793P0794P0795P0796P0797P0798P0799