P0712
Transmission Fluid Temperature Sensor "A" Circuit Low
- Severity
- Medium
- Driving
- Drivable — book it in
The fluid temperature signal from sensor "A" is stuck low, which reads as implausibly hot on a typical sensor whose resistance falls as temperature rises. Electrically this is usually shorted to earth. The module treats the reading as unusable and defaults to a conservative shift strategy, so the car may shift harshly or refuse to lock the torque converter.
Possible causes
- CommonWiring shorted to earth between the sensor and the module
- CommonFailed temperature sensor
- CommonCorroded or fluid-contaminated case connector
- PossibleInternal transmission harness failure
- RareGenuinely extreme fluid temperature - rare, but check before assuming a sensor fault
What you might notice
- Harsh or delayed shifting
- Torque converter clutch not engaging
- Transmission temperature reading implausible on the display
- Check engine light on
What to check, in order
- Read the reported temperature on a cold vehicle. A reading that is nowhere near ambient confirms the sensor or its circuit rather than a genuine temperature.
- Before assuming an electrical fault, satisfy yourself the transmission is not actually overheating - check the fluid level, the cooler and the fluid condition.
- Unplug at the case connector and check whether the low reading persists at the harness side.
- Inspect the connector for fluid wicking through from inside the transmission, which corrodes pins and also damages the module.
- On most transmissions this sensor is internal, so plan for dropping the pan once the wiring is eliminated.
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