OBD-II trouble code
P0762: Shift Solenoid "C" Stuck On
SAE J2012: shift solenoid C stuck on. After the valve is out, the bench test in this service procedure can show a valve that will not return. A valve that passes on the bench says nothing about the bore it came out of. The parts catalog decides whether C is sold alone, as a pack, or only inside a mechatronic.
Quick facts
- System
- Powertrain
- Category
- Transmission / Shift Control
- Severity
- High severity
- Drivable
- Usually safe to drive short-term
- Repair cost range
- $300 – $900 (simple shift solenoid replacement)
- DIY difficulty
- Advanced DIY
One of 42 shift solenoid codes
P0762 sits in a grid: one axis is which solenoid the letter refers to, the other is what went wrong with it. Each cell is a genuinely different fault with its own diagnosis — but codes from the same row or column often appear together, and what a pairing means is usually the fastest way in. The hub page lays out all 42 and explains how to read them against each other.
See all shift solenoid codes →Browse every code in P0700–P0799, or start from the full code library.
What does P0762 mean?
Stuck on means solenoid C's element is still applied after the controller turned the command off. The overlap on this application chart decides whether that holds a second element and binds, or simply leaves the transmission in the wrong ratio. Read the row. Do not import the overlap from solenoid A or B.
The part number is a separate question from the diagnosis. Some catalogs sell solenoid C by itself. Some sell the shift solenoids as a pack. Some, including units whose valve body and module are one mechatronic, do not sell the coil separately at all. ATRA and transmission-specialty catalogs are where that split shows up for a given unit. 'Not sold separately' is a catalog fact for that unit. It is not true of every transmission built in the last twenty years.
A valve can stick in the bore and still pass a bench test once it is out, because the wear is in the bore. The procedure's air check or return check, at the pressure that procedure states, is the test of the valve. Inspecting the bore is the test of the place it lives. Do not apply shop air or 12 V at a pressure or a voltage the procedure does not give, and do not use an on/off click test on a linear solenoid.
A bind that disappears with the key off is not proof of a driver or a shorted wire. Subaru's Transmission Theory and Diagnosis Part 2, Oil Pump section, says the automatic pump in that course is driven by the torque converter housing at engine speed and produces pressure while the engine is running, if fluid is available. Key-off removes that pressure, so a stuck valve can release the clutch with no electrical fault. That section does not describe an electric auxiliary pump. A search of manufacturer and transmission-service procedures did not turn up an electrical-isolation test, with apply pressure still present, that belongs to one vehicle family under P0762 and can be printed without borrowing another unit's chart. Follow the service information for the transmission in the bay. The hold-on short is the side that diagram switches. ATRA GEARS, July 2007, lists a short to ground when the solenoid is commanded off, and a short to B+ on the ground side when it is commanded on, for the 4T60E, 4T80E, 4L60E, and 4L80E. That list is those GM units. It is not solenoid C on every transmission.
Common causes
- A short on the switched side of solenoid C's control wire. On the GM units in the July 2007 GEARS article that side is ground, so the short that can hold the coil on is to ground
- A valve that stays applied, confirmed with the return check in this procedure after the wire tests clear
- A worn bore that sticks the next valve, which a bench pass will not show
- A driver that does not release, after the coil measures in range
- Debris in the pan that has to be accounted for before a new solenoid is installed in the same body
- A pack or mechatronic ordered because the catalog does not sell C alone
Symptoms
- A bind in the ranges where solenoid C's element overlaps another on this chart
- A wrong ratio in C's gears without a bind, where there is no overlap
- The overlap-range complaint still present while this transmission's own pressure test is running
- A solenoid that passes out of the bore and a code that returns after it is reinstalled
- Friction material on the pan magnet after a bind has been driven
- P0763 stored when the hold is electrical
Diagnostic steps
- 1.Map solenoid C on this chart and list the overlap ranges. Tow the vehicle if it is binding. Do not add a road test.
- 2.Wheels chocked, parking brake set. Do not use key-off to decide the bind is electrical. The service information for this transmission is the procedure that separates a driver from a valve while apply pressure is still available. If that publication does not contain the test, stop. Do not add a key cycle or an unplug-and-drive check.
- 3.Ignition off. Measure the coil against this spec. Check the control wire for the short on the switched side in the wiring diagram. Where that diagram is one of the ground-side GM circuits in the July 2007 GEARS article, the short that holds the coil on is to ground, and a short to power on that wire is the commanded-on fault instead. Leave 12 V and shop air for the step the procedure actually prints, and only for the solenoid type it names.
- 4.When the valve is out, run the return check or air check that procedure gives. A valve that will not return is the part. A valve that returns still requires a look at the bore it came from. A bore that needs a sleeve or a valve body is outside a single-solenoid price.
- 5.Before you order, read the catalog line. One solenoid, a pack, or a mechatronic are three different invoices. Ask for the line that matches the part number, not for 'a solenoid' in general.
- 6.Pan work is on a lift or stands, fluid cooled. If the magnet is loaded with friction material, stop and price the clutches. The solenoid pair on this page does not include them.
- 7.Verify by engaging the overlap range in the bay, with the wheels chocked, and then with a recorded drive if it does not bind. A passenger reads the ratio.
Repair cost
$300 – $900 (simple shift solenoid replacement)
AutoZone's simple solenoid sentence is $300–$900 parts and labor, and that is all this pair covers. A sleeve or a replacement valve body is not in it. A pack or a mechatronic that must be bought as an assembly is not in it either. The article's rebuild price is $1,800–$3,500 and its replacement price is $4,000–$8,000. RepairPal's $294–$356 fluid-change average, updated 3 September 2026, applies when the pan is opened for the solenoid. It does not repair a bore.
Estimate your repair
Run the numbers for your vehicle
Open the Repair Cost Estimator with transmission shift solenoid replacement preselected. Adjust labor rate and vehicle category to fit your situation.
DIY vs shop
This is an advanced DIY job. It typically requires specialty tools, scan-tool access, lifting equipment, or careful sequencing to avoid causing new failures. Plan for extended downtime and have a backup vehicle. Most owners are better served by a shop that has done this repair before.