P0741
Torque Converter Clutch Circuit Performance or Stuck Off
- Severity
- Medium
- Driving
- Drivable — book it in
The torque converter clutch is being commanded to lock but is either not locking or slipping when it should be held. This is one of the most common transmission codes there is. On a high-mileage vehicle it usually means the converter clutch lining is worn, but low or degraded fluid and a sticking valve produce the same complaint and are far cheaper to fix.
Possible causes
- CommonLow or degraded transmission fluid
- CommonWorn torque converter clutch lining
- CommonSticking valve in the valve body
- CommonFailed or weak converter clutch solenoid
- PossibleLow line pressure
- PossibleEngine misfire being mistaken for converter slip
What you might notice
- Shudder or vibration at a light steady throttle, often around 40 to 60 mph
- Engine speed creeping up at a constant road speed
- Worse fuel consumption
- Transmission running hot
- Check engine light on
What to check, in order
- Check the fluid level and condition first. Degraded fluid loses the friction properties the converter clutch depends on, and a fluid change to the correct specification sometimes resolves this entirely.
- Watch converter slip on the live data screen at a steady cruise. A slip figure that should be near zero but is not confirms the complaint.
- Rule out an engine misfire. A light misfire at cruise feels almost identical to converter shudder from the driver's seat, and the fix is completely different.
- Check for misfire and fuel trim codes stored alongside.
- Ask what fluid was fitted at the last service. Fluid of the wrong specification is a frequent cause of converter shudder.
- Be aware of the cost gradient here: fluid is cheap, a solenoid is moderate, a torque converter means removing the transmission. Work through them in that order.
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