OBD-II trouble code
P0742: Torque Converter Clutch Circuit Stuck On
SAE J2012: torque converter clutch circuit stuck on. On a Chrysler NAG1 the monitor is converter slip that stays too low while the clutch is commanded open. On a Ford 5R110W the same number is the solenoid circuit shorted to ground. Identify which definition this transmission uses before opening the pan.
Quick facts
- System
- Powertrain
- Category
- Transmission / Torque Converter
- Severity
- Medium severity
- Drivable
- Usually safe to drive short-term
- Repair cost range
- $300 – $900 (simple solenoid replacement)
- DIY difficulty
- Shop recommended
Browse every code in P0700–P0799, or start from the full code library.
What does P0742 mean?
Stuck on means the clutch is applied, or the circuit that applies it is in the applied state, when the controller has asked for it to be released. The familiar result on a hydraulic stuck clutch is the engine pulling down or dying as the vehicle comes to a stop, because the converter cannot slip. That symptom is real. It is not the definition on every transmission that stores this number.
The 2007 Jeep Commander XK NAG1 chart sets P0742 when slip is too low while torque-converter status is open. The causes listed there are a control-circuit short, a sticking lockup valve, a leaking converter-clutch solenoid, the converter, and the module. GM bulletin PIP4290A (February 2013) covers stall or surge in gear with P0742 on the Allison LCT1000, RPO M74 or MW7, in the 2001–2013 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra applications the bulletin lists, including the Classic and medium-duty years it names. The isolation step in both documents is the same shop check: transmission connector unplugged, service brake and parking brake applied, wheels chocked, then a shift into Drive. If the engine still dies, the apply is inside the transmission. If it does not, the bulletin sends the technician to the wiring and then the module. That check is not a wide-open-throttle stall-speed test. The Ford 6F35 manual puts a stall-speed test outside this pinpoint and warns that holding wide-open throttle more than five seconds, or stall-testing with low line pressure, can damage the transmission. Do not run one.
GM PI0999 (June 2013) covers shudder or a stall on the stop with P0742 on the 6T70, RPOs M7U, M7V, M7W, and M7X, in the 2013 Buick Enclave, Cadillac SRX and XTS, Chevrolet Equinox, Malibu, and Traverse, 2014 Impala, and 2013 GMC Acadia and Terrain. The stated cause is a converter-clutch solenoid in the control-solenoid and module assembly sticking from debris. The published repair on that list is replacement of the assembly, not a fluid service. The Ford 5R110W PC/ED description of P0742 is a converter-clutch solenoid circuit shorted to ground. On that unit the diagnosis is electrical.
Common causes
- A control wire shorted to ground, which is the Ford 5R110W description of this code
- A sticking converter-clutch valve or a solenoid leaking apply pressure, listed on the 2007 Commander NAG1 chart
- Debris keeping the converter-clutch solenoid from releasing in the 6T70 control assembly, the cause stated in GM PI0999 for the vehicles that bulletin lists
- A torque converter whose clutch stays applied after the electrical command is removed
- A module driver, after the wiring test in that chart is clean
- Low or burnt fluid, checked with this transmission's level procedure, as a condition to record rather than as a proven cure
Symptoms
- Engine speed falls, or the engine dies, as the vehicle stops
- A surge in gear on the Allison applications in PIP4290A
- Shudder while slowing, on the 6T70 vehicles in PI0999
- Check engine light with P0742 stored
- Harsh engagement into Drive when the clutch is already applied
- The complaint changes when the transmission connector is unplugged, or it does not — that split is the isolation step
Diagnostic steps
- 1.Read the definition for this transmission. On a 5R110W, start with the short-to-ground circuit test. On the Commander NAG1 chart and on the Allison vehicles in PIP4290A, the complaint is slip that stays low while the clutch is commanded open.
- 2.Check fluid level and condition with this transmission's procedure, including the temperature window and whether it has a dipstick. Record the result. Do not treat a fluid service as the repair PI0999 publishes for the 6T70 vehicles it lists. That bulletin replaces the control-solenoid and module assembly.
- 3.Compare commanded clutch state with slip (engine speed against turbine or input speed). Record the trace, or have a passenger read it. Do not watch the scan tool while driving. A stall in traffic also removes engine-driven steering or brake assist on vehicles that still use those pumps. Electric assist does not all work the same way. If the engine is dying at stops, move the vehicle on a flatbed.
- 4.A shop can run the connector-off check from PIP4290A and the Commander chart: connector unplugged, parking brake and service brake applied, wheels chocked, shift into Drive. If the engine still dies, the apply is hydraulic or mechanical. If it now idles, inspect the wiring, then the module. This is not a wide-open-throttle stall-speed test, and it is not a step to try in traffic.
- 5.Ignition off. At the transmission connector, test the clutch circuit for a short to ground and compare coil resistance with the specification for this transmission. Do not use a single ohm band. The 2007 Chrysler Crossfire NAG1 chart's 2.0–4.0 ohm solenoid band belongs to that solenoid on that chart, not to this page as a general limit.
- 6.If the clutch stays applied after the electrical command is removed, follow the valve-body or converter decision in this transmission's procedure. On the PI0999 6T70 list, the published part is the control-solenoid and module assembly.
- 7.Clear the code and confirm, from a recorded trace, that slip rises when the clutch is commanded off at a stop. Do not sign the job off in the bay.
Repair cost
$300 – $900 (simple solenoid replacement)
AutoZone's article 'Bad Torque Converter vs Bad Transmission' prices a simple solenoid replacement at $300–$900, parts and labor, a rebuild at $1,800–$3,500, and a full replacement at $4,000–$8,000. The printed pair is the simple solenoid sentence only. The same article prices a torque converter at $600–$1,200 parts and labor. CarParts' converter article, updated 23 May 2024, prices converter replacement at $600–$1,000. A converter, a 6T70 control assembly, a rebuild, and a replacement are outside this pair. RepairPal's fluid-change average, updated 3 September 2026, is $294–$356 and is a different job. PI0999 does not sell that fluid service as the fix on the vehicles it lists.
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DIY vs shop
Leave this one to a qualified shop. The barrier here is internal hydraulic and mechanical work, fluid handling at temperature, and an adaptive relearn afterwards without which a correct repair still shifts badly. DIY attempts often produce a more expensive problem than the original code.