P0920

Gear Shift Forward Actuator Circuit/Open

Severity: High
Driving: Drive only to a garage

An open circuit or general electrical fault in the gear shift forward actuator circuit - the actuator that pushes the selector shaft in the forward direction to engage a gear. Without it the gears on that side of the gate cannot be engaged.

Possible causes

CommonFailed forward actuator or its solenoid
CommonCorroded or damaged connector at the gearbox
CommonOpen circuit or broken wire in the harness
PossibleBlown fuse on the actuator supply
PossibleWater ingress at the gearbox connector
RareFailed control module driver

What you might notice

Some gears unavailable
Transmission will not engage in the forward direction
Car stuck in neutral
Transmission warning message
Check engine light on

What to check, in order

Note which gears are still available. If only the gears on one side of the gate work, that confirms one actuator rather than a shared fault.
Check the fuses on the actuator supply.
Inspect the connector at the gearbox for corrosion and water.
Measure the actuator or solenoid winding resistance against specification.
Check continuity through the harness.
Run the calibration procedure after any repair.

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.

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Where this code sits

B · Body C · Chassis P · Powertrain U · Network and communication

Transmission and control modules