P0893
Multiple Gears Engaged
- Severity
- Critical
- Driving
- Stop driving
The transmission has engaged more than one gear at once. An automatic gearbox cannot hold two gears simultaneously - the gearsets fight each other, and at worst the transmission locks up. If that happens while the car is moving, the driven wheels can lock, which on a wet or loose surface means losing control.
Possible causes
- CommonShift solenoid stuck on, applying a clutch that should be released
- CommonSticking valve in the valve body
- CommonDebris from internal wear jamming the hydraulics
- PossibleInternal seal failure applying a clutch unintentionally
- PossibleWiring fault holding a solenoid energised
- RareControl module fault commanding two gears
What you might notice
- Severe jolting or banging from the transmission
- Engine bogging down or stalling
- Transmission locking up momentarily
- Loss of drive
- Grinding or binding noises
What to check, in order
- Stop driving. This is one of the few transmission faults that can cause a loss of control rather than just a breakdown, and it is worth the cost of recovery.
- Do not clear the code and carry on to see whether it returns. It can lock up at any speed.
- Check the fluid level and condition once the vehicle is somewhere safe - debris in the fluid is the most common cause.
- Read all codes. A stuck solenoid code alongside this one names the likely cause.
- Check whether a solenoid circuit is being held energised electrically before assuming a mechanical jam.
- Expect the pan to come off. Whatever jammed the hydraulics is still in there.
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
P0800P0801P0802P0803P0804P0805P0806P0807P0808P0809P0810P0811P0812P0813P0814P0815P0816P0817P0818P0819P0820P0821P0822P0823P0824P0825P0826P0827P0828P0829P0830P0831P0832P0833P0834P0835P0836P0837P0838P0839P0840P0841P0842P0843P0844P0845P0846P0847P0848P0849P0850P0851P0852P0853P0854P0855P0856P0857P0858P0859P0860P0861P0862P0863P0864P0865P0866P0867P0868P0869P0870P0871P0872P0873P0874P0875P0876P0877P0878P0879P0880P0881P0882P0883P0884P0885P0886P0887P0888P0889P0890P0891P0892P0893P0894P0895P0896P0897P0898P0899