Modern automatic transmissions use pressurized hydraulic fluid to change gears. Every time a gear change is required, the car’s computer activates a transmission solenoid, which directs transmission fluid into the valve body to engage the correct gear. If one of these electro-mechanical valves fail, then all sorts of transmission problems can ensue. So let’s take a closer look at the shift solenoid, and the common problems associated with it.
What Transmission Do I Have?
How Does a Transmission Solenoid Work?
As you’re going down the road, the car’s computer analyzes data being sent by vehicle speed sensors and engine speed sensors. Based on this information, the Engine Control Unit (ECU), or the Transmission Control Unit (TCM), executes the appropriate upshift / downshift by sending a signal to one of several shift solenoids. These transmission solenoids have a spring-loaded plunger inside, which are wrapped with wire. When this coil of wire receives an electrical charge from the TCM / ECU, it causes the plunger to open, allowing transmission fluid to flow into the valve body and pressurize the desired clutches and bands. When this happens, the transmission changes gears and you continue down the road.
The car’s computer can control the transmission solenoid in several ways. If the vehicle is equipped with a dedicated Transmission Control Unit, it can open or close the hydraulic circuit using a direct 12v signal. Or, the Engine Control Unit can control the solenoid’s plunger by turning the ground circuit on and off. A solenoid can be used to control a single gear or multiple gears, depending upon the complexity of the design.
Symptoms of a Transmission Solenoid Problem
A transmission solenoid can fail due to electrical issues, or dirty fluid that’s caused the shift solenoid to become stuck open / closed. Any change in the transmission fluid pressure can cause numerous problems, including:
Erratic Shifting – If you’re dealing with a failed transmission solenoid, the gearbox can skip a gear up or down, shift back and forth between gears repeatedly, or get stuck in a gear and refuse to shift.
Transmission Won’t Downshift – If the transmission will not downshift, one of the shift solenoids may have become stuck open / closed, preventing fluid from entering the transmission valve body to pressurize the correct gear.
Severe Shifting Delay / Stuck in Neutral – In order for an electronically controlled automatic transmission to shift gears, the solenoid must be able to regulate the fluid pressure to activate the appropriate gear. If the shift solenoid is receiving too much or too little electric current, or dirty transmission fluid has caused it to become stuck open / closed, gear engagement maybe become difficult or delayed, which can cause the transmission to act as if it is temporarily locked in neutral.
Because the solenoids are connected to a vehicle’s electrical system, the ECU will usually register an error code and trigger the check engine light if something goes wrong. If this happens, the transmission can go into limp / fail mode, where it will only engage second / third gear to limit the vehicle speed without immobilizing it.
The first thing that your mechanic should look at are the error codes. Using a scan tool, the technician can determine the source of the solenoid’s problem. It could be as simple as a bad ground, or as complex as a failed solenoid pack (a grouping of individual shift solenoids).
Transmission Solenoid Replacement Cost – Parts & Labor
In most cases, solenoids are located inside of the oil pan, connected to the valve body. Depending on what you drive, the technician may be able to replace just the failed shift solenoid. However in some cases, the solenoids come in these multiple unit packs so if there is a problem with one, the entire pack must be replaced. This job typically takes 2-4 hours to complete, and shop time is generally billed at $60 – $100 per hour. The average total cost to diagnose and replace one ranges between $150 and $400.
Depending on the make and model of your vehicle, expect to pay between $15 – $100 for a single transmission shift solenoid. A pack can cost $50 to $300.
| Type | Cost Range |
|---|---|
| Single | $15 to $100 |
| Pack | $50 to $300 |
| Labor | $120 to $400 |
| Total (Pack) | $250 to $600 |
Although it isn’t unusual for transmission shift solenoids to wear out over time, you can extend their life by changing your transmission fluid at the factory recommended intervals. This will clean out all of the dirt and sludge that builds up, and the fresh fluid will keep the plungers on the inside of the solenoids from sticking. If you don’t know what your vehicle’s recommended transmission service intervals are, check the back of your owner’s manual, or simply ask Google.
Get a great deal on a replacement solenoid – for as low as $11 on Amazon <
Need a replacement transmission? Get an estimate for replacement transmissions and local installation. Look up your transmission model by vehicle make and model.
What Transmission Do I Have?
My car shifts out hard when I come to a complete stop and pulls off … There are no lights coming on … It only does it when I come to a complete stop and pull off … What could this be ?
Hi, Chrysler Grand Voyager RT 2008 2.8 Diesel (90.000Km) ERROR – P083B I went to specialist to change the AT fluid and after the car started to have some gear problem. Sometimes I start to drive and it just doesn’t change gear. I have to stop and restart, and everything goes normally. The OBD shows this sensor error P083B. with does it means, with shall I do?
TKS Nuno Portugal-Europe
Looking to buy a VW Jetta from a guy, he said only problem is the shift solenoid harness is bad, per a mechanic. About how much is this gonna cost to fix, I’m on a strict budget (rent, bills, wife nd 4 kids,) and dont have time or money to buy something for cheap that’s gonna be an expensive fix. I know VW are European manufactured, so I have no idea on costs. Please help!
Jk 2007 Would not shift to 4th gear, just before that A/C stopped from cooling. Replaced selenoids worked for 300 miles. Yesterday same turn of events, first A/C stopped working and then transmission didn’t shift up from third. Help
Sounds like your Vehicle went into limp mode
I have a 2008 Toyota RAV4 Toyoya automatic with 90k miles and have no noticeable driving//shifting/slipping issues whatsoever! although I have 3 different indicator lights on, of which one is the check engine light. I’ve taken it into the dealer which they found the fluid level to be high so they replaced it to see if the check engine light would reset which it did for a day or so, and also as well as to another independent transmission shop and both say the diagnostic test shows a mechanical problem not electrical,failed converter solenoid and that the part alone can not be replaced but needs a full transmission rebuild. From all that I’ve read it doesn’t sound like all the problems others are experiencing with the gear shifting,noise etc and the also that the part can be replace without having to rebuild entire transmission. So what I’m I do believe and can ask to have done to verify to have part replaced and avoid a full transmission rebuild. I would appreciate any timely advice as I need to make a decision on how to proceed as soon as possible. Thank you!
Hi, we have the exact same issue! Did you figure anything out?
Okay so my husband’s 94 jeep Cherokee won’t reverse and drives when in neutral this all started after getting stuck in a snow drift.
shift cable needs adjustment
Sounds like your shifting linkage needs adjusting.
Sounds like a broken motor mount. Keeping your foot on the brake, put it in gear and slowly give it gas. If it’s a motor mount the engine will move an abnormal amount.
You can also just look at it. If it is not going into reverse and is in drive while shift is in neutral and it is a motor mount the engine will be noticeably leaning to one side.
Was driving 2001 Montana on freeway. I heard and felt a thud on front passenger side. I thought I had blowou. As I was pulling over I heard what sounded like steam. Then sounds llike a spoon in garbage disposal. Suddenly no gears worked. Car even rolls when in Park. What could be problem?
Probably a broken axle
Hey y’all, I too am having the issue with my 1996 Chevy Silverado not wanting to shift into 3rd gear. Is there more than two shift solenoids?
Thanks!!
Hello, I have a 2007 Ford explorer v6, this particular model don’t have a dipstick on the tranny, I was driving and in D the car went into neutral on its on with no check engine light on it. It will drive in 1st and second gear, but will not drive in drive or reverse. Prior to this it used to jerk hard into reverse, can someone help me?
I have a 2000 Chevy Blazer, my car will shift into Reverse, Drive, 3rd, 2nd, and 1st just fine, but as I start to drive from a standstill in Drive, my car will rev up to 4-4 and a half grand before the passing gear kicks in. Is the shifting solenoids the problem causing this to happen?
I have a 1993 Winnebago Brave 27RC on a Chevy chasis with a 454 engine and recently the transmission stopped shifting into low. I can start in second gear but obviously the transmission is not working the way it should. Hopefully it’s as something as simple as a transmission solenoid..
I have a 2007 Subaru Tribeca. Recently the check engine light came on, along with a flashing cruise control light. It drives fine for the most part, but every once-in-awhile (usually 30 minutes after driving it) the ABS and SPORT lights start flashing and if I have to stop the car for any amount of time (light, stop sign, traffic) it won’t accelerate. You can hear the engine revving, but the car just won’t go, even though I have the peddle pushed all the way down. It will eventually start to move and gain speed, but if I have to stop again it will start all over. Every so often while you are driving it will “jerk”, I’m assuming it does this when it’s trying to change gears. Whatever it is that is happening randomly turns off and the car drives fine again. I never know when it’s going to act up. Could this possibly just be a solenoid problem or do I need to replace my entire transmission?
Hi, I also have a 2007 Subura Tribeca with the same problem you described…took it to dealership and they couldn’t identify problem in one day…had to keep car and then told me it was lose wiring…picked up the car and same problem…took it back and told me it was the transmission control module …not confident this will fix the problem and haven’t made the repair yet. What was your outcome?
What was the outcome to your car problem? I have an 2007 TriBeCa with the exact same problem
Sounds like you have a throttle control sensor problem.
Did you ever get an answer on your TriBeCa? I am having the exact same problem!
To all with the Subaru’s not just the Tribeca but Forster maybe more.. If you get trouble code of P0700 – means general transmission problem , here is the nasty one P07068 -direct shift selinoid D electrical. Then you just joined way to many Subaru owners with the 5EAT 5-speed OD WITH SPORT SHIFT. I have gotten the same, in my 2007 Subaru TriBeCa . I fixed it myself but not for the backyard oil changer. Problem is with the 1st selinoid with cap starting from top Lh of Top side of valve body . Yes, you can’t even see it without 1st drop trans pan, then valve body selinoid wire harness, then about 12-15 10mm bolts attaching VB to trans. Then very, very, very carefully lower valve body down and out. You must do this in a almost serial inviroment because 1 human hair gets in there your back where you started! 1- 10mm bolt holds the selinoid in along with wire connector. Good luck tracking down the new selinoid as Subaru doesn’t sell it they will offer the whole Valve body $1299.99 this also means any parts attached are also not avaiible . Now to what I found to have caused problem. All the little white zip ties holding wires together, just touch one and will crumble in your fingers. Carefully remove all!!! As they are the reason your doing this! Go to home depot to the electrical dept. get a bag of industrial electrician zip ties . Then replace where you removed old POS ones from. Install is reverse. Oh go to napa and get correct fluid!!! It’s a must!
I drive a 2000 Jeep Cherokee xj V6 4.0, 2wd. According to AAMCO TRANSMISSION, the specialist said that
Code P0740-TTC solenoid functional faul
Code P0562 trans battery volt sensor (to low)
Code P0700 trans fault present
Also logged down TCC/lock up- slipping
converter -problem
all the gear seem to work fine per the mechanic
he in no way shape or form explain to me what they were or how much time to fix nor how much. And one with experience is willing to explain to me what this is about!
I could really use some help thanks.
hello im currently experiencing the same problem have you come up with the solution My car was registering the P0740 & the P0700 code i changed my lock up solenoid and now my car sounds like its grinding while in gear was thinking its my shift solenoid now
I have a 2001 nissan quest and the car don’t go into gear, the shifter works but the car dont move on R or D. Is that cause of a solenoid?
My 2002 Nissan altima is doing the same thing ,did you ever find out the problem?
Hello All;
I have 2006 Chrysler town and country, 162 K miles.
Since I bought it three years ago it has been hesitating a bit between 1-2 (especially at slow accelerations). Last week it did that but it was a harsher hesitation, then the transmissiion disengaged and remained on Neutral, Since then it can be driven on the 1st gear only. If I accelerate a little bit it will try to shift to 2nd, then hesitate then moves to Nuetral. It stays in that condition until I restart it, so the way around this is to put the gear on “L” which will force it to stay on 1st gear and not shift at all so I can move it around. It also doesn’t engage Reverse at all. The transmission oil is pink and smells as if it was new, very pure and no leakage at all.
Does that seem like a solenoid pack problem?
Thanks!
H i Mike,
Did you ever find out what was causing your problem? My 2010 Chevy Equinox LS would not shift up from first to second, nor will it go into reverse. My gas station mechanic put the diagnostic computer on it and got the code for shift solenoid. I had the tranny flushed in May 2014 and have only 75000 miles on the car. I had the car brought to dealer who claims that it is the transmission, not the solenoid. His mechanic claims to have heard a grinding sound when trying to get reverse. I never heard that. His mechanic also claims to have found metal filings in the trans fluid. What was the problem with your car?
Hello captainanne;
I ended up taking it to a transmission shop, they quoted me $2600 to fix, and $1000 to just open and see what is going on! So I decided to do it myself, after all the van wouldn’t worth anything without transmission.
I found the clutch hub and 2-4 sun-gear broken (this is a one piece welded together), it is the gear responsible from shifting from first to second and to fourth. I bought a new one from eBay for $40, and decided to rebuild it too ($200 kit). Took every piece down and dis-assembled all components. I also flushed the entire system, and then installed the transmission, then drove the van to the same transmission guy to re-program it. He was stunned!!
I paid him $100 for the programming, then a month later I sold the van for $2800. It was running like charm, but decided to move on with a newer model.
I really don’t know if this is your problem or not, does your can shift out of first (to neutral for example), or is it only stuck on 1st gear?
Hi Mike,
My friend discussed my problem with a transmission repair guy that he can trust. According to the transmission expert, if there is no reverse but there is first gear, the problem is in the transmission, not the solenoid. My car is now at the chevy dealer and his mechanic claims to have found metal filings in the trans fluid and that when trying to engage reverse, a grinding sound occurs. My Chevy Equinox has only 74,000 miles on it. Trans was flushed at 54,000 miles. After that it was hard shifting from first into second at around 45 MPH. I took it back to the dealer repair man and he convinced me there was nothing wrong with it. Now it is out of warranty. I think something was screwed up when it was flushed. No good deed goes unpunished.
All new transmissions will have metal in the original fluid from break in… it’s a solenoid
Hopefully this is the problem I’m dealing with. My car, a 09 Pontiac g8gt, went into limp mode and would only reach a speed of 30mph. Fearing for the worse I took it to an autozone to get the codes read, where I was told it had a shift solenoid malfunction. I took it to a mechanic I’ve been using for a long time, but without even dropping the transmission he quoted me a price of $3,000 to rebuild it, shocked about the cost I ask if I can take it home to think about it. Needless to say I took it to a Transmission shop where they told me that it may just be the shift solenoid and computer module and gave me a reasonable price, however there is still the chance that he’ll have to rebuild the tranny but gave me the price of $2,500 to do it. Moral of the story shop around and get different quotes, even your trustworthy mechanic might be in over his head with dealing with trannys. Money saved is money saved
Hi Adrian, thanks for taking the time to leave a comment and share your experience.
Shopping around is great advice! I always advise people to get a second opinion to compare to because as you mentioned, not all mechanics are transmission specialists.
My car was doing the same thing but instead if I kept my foot on the break for longer than 30 seconds when I would try & accelerate it would rev up & reach 50mph but the car wouldn’t move at all & I had a mechanic friend look at it & plug in his device & it said sylenoid as well as a few other ppl I’ve talked to but the moment I took it to the shop & mentioned it to them they said it was my transmission & my front left speed sensor & charged me 2,155.60 to fix everything which included the transmission rebuild , the speed sensor , the seatbelt & the bend in my back tire rim plus 89$ for the diagnostic – in gonna be upset if it was that simple part but had to pay all that for them to do a bunch of extra stuff. It’s a 2003 Honda Accord 2 door LS
Where can I purchase gearbox solenoids for a 2006 Daihatsu Sirion 1.3
My transmission won’t shift from 2nd to 3rd it’s a 1993 gmc suburban 1500 with 5.7 tbi
Here’s my thinking on this: you are exactly right, there’s a solenoid problem, rather than a major transmission problem. I don’t know the degree to which your mechanics are transmission experts, however, I would say that you might want to get your cars to shops that specialize in transmission work. Independent transmission specialists have the tools and knowledge you need to have the work done correctly and at an affordable cost.
With that said, Peter and Dave, your car transmission problems are definitely solenoid-related. If you get a chance to hook up an OBD-II diagnostic scanner and get a code readout, the chances are good that you will find either or both of the shifting-related solenoids (there are two on the valve body) has failed or gone intermittent (another name for failing). The codes will likely indicate that when they are read.
If no code is generated, it means that the cars computer control module (CCM), the honcho amount the many car computer systems, hasn’t been informed of the problem. Instead, the transmission is keeping the information to itself. Even though the transmission is doing this, it still doesn’t mean there is no problem or that the problem isn’t solenoid-related. It is, more than likely. And, because of the failure your cars are in limp-home mode. Limp-home means the car is driveable as it has a forward gear and, maybe, reverse. The reason it has only one gear is so that you can either get it home to be towed to a shop or so that you can limp into a shop.
Either way, once the car is in the shop, have the specialist look at the solenoids first. If the solenoids are gone, as I suspect, have them replaced and, while you are at it, have the transmission fluid drained and refilled with fresh tranny liquid (don’t forget the filter). You will likely find that your transmission is performing as well as new and that it should go on and perform well for the a long time to come.
You will find that, depending on how many solenoids you replace and whether you want the tranny fluid and filters replaced, that this job will cost between $240 and $650.
My check engine light came on with a pressure control solenoid problem and this description sounds exactly like what has been happening with my (gets stuck in neutral when shifting between drive and reverse).
I went to a mechanic (small shop) and he said he needed to replace the entire transmission.
Based on reading this article however it sounds like maybe just replacing either the individual solenoid or the whole pack might be enough. Any opinions from anyone here?
Only Goes In Reverse Stalling To Go In Drive Will catch in drive rarely
I found the description fits in with the problem. The transmission slips into 3rd gear and stays there until an engine shut-down and restart. A few years ago the drive and A/C belts were changed, the A/C belt wasn’t the correct size and clicks away. I wondered if maybe the lowered tensioned belt was upsetting the engine torque load and timing, resulting in a confusing signal to the computer. However, the thump sound when moving into reverse hints now that there is a major problem that needs resolving. Thank you.
You need the right professional a technician-mechanic. Don’t be cheap and go to a place that does not give you three C’s on their work order.
First you check fluid levels.
Then check pressure with manufacturers specified tolerances. Note: Try to avoid WOT if the trans is failing; if applicable. But do the proper testing.
Now if the mechanic did not pull out the transmission and said your h. valve body is bad and its apart of the trans cover. You need to replace it. Then go elsewhere.
I did leave information out that I accumulated. Because a magician never revels their secrets. But those are steps of a diagnostic.
what is the 3 c’s on a work order?