P0705
Transmission Range Sensor Circuit Malfunction (PRNDL Input)
- Severity
- High
- Driving
- Drive only to a garage
A fault in the transmission range sensor circuit - the sensor that tells the module which position the gear selector is in. If the module cannot tell whether you have selected park, reverse, neutral or drive, it cannot shift sensibly and it cannot let the engine start safely, so it falls back to a failsafe.
Possible causes
- CommonFailed or misadjusted range sensor (also called the neutral safety or inhibitor switch)
- CommonWorn or damaged selector linkage, so the sensor is not being moved to the right position
- CommonCorroded connector at the sensor - it sits low on the transmission
- PossibleWiring damage between the sensor and the module
- PossibleWater or salt ingress into the sensor
What you might notice
- Engine will not start, or starts in gears other than park and neutral
- Gear position display wrong or blank
- Reversing lights not working, or on in the wrong gear
- Transmission stuck in one gear
- Harsh engagement when selecting drive or reverse
What to check, in order
- Watch the selected gear on the live data screen while moving the selector through every position. A position that reads wrong, or two positions that read the same, identifies the fault immediately.
- Check the sensor adjustment. Many of these sensors are adjustable and their alignment drifts - adjustment is often the whole repair.
- Check the selector linkage for wear and free play. The sensor can be perfect while the linkage fails to move it far enough.
- Inspect the connector for corrosion. It sits low on the transmission, in the path of road spray and salt.
- Treat an engine that starts in gear as a safety fault. It means the interlock is not working, and the car can move as it starts.
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