OBD-II trouble code
P0772: Shift Solenoid "E" Stuck On
SAE J2012: shift solenoid E stuck on. Read the chart before you describe the symptom. If E is the lockup solenoid, as on a U341E or A340, stuck on can drag the engine down when lockup was commanded off. If E is a clutch solenoid, as SSE/SR on an A750, stuck on is that clutch staying applied. A coil that measures in spec does not clear the valve.
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
P0772 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 P0772 mean?
Stuck on is a hydraulic result: the element stayed applied after the command to release it. It is not proof the driver is still energizing the coil. The driver, a shorted wire, a valve, and a bore can each hold the element. The coil measurement splits the electrical ones from the mechanical ones, and only when you have named the solenoid.
On the U341E and A340, Transmission Digest identifies SAE E as the lockup solenoid. Stuck on there can keep the converter clutch applied, and the engine speed falls as the vehicle stops. That is the same sensation as P0742, reached through this solenoid's chart. On an A750, Sonnax identifies SSE as SR, not as lockup. Stuck on there applies whatever SR applies on that chart. It does not get the lockup story. An A750 that dies at stops needs the converter-clutch solenoid looked up under its own name.
A passing resistance reading leaves the valve and the bore in play. Do not clear the code and call a coil that ohms in spec a finished diagnosis. A drag that leaves when the key is turned off does not name the driver. Subaru's Transmission Theory and Diagnosis Part 2, Oil Pump section, describes the automatic pump in that course as driven by the torque converter housing at engine speed, producing pressure while the engine runs, if fluid is available. On that design the clutch can release at key-off while a valve stays stuck. A search for a manufacturer electrical-isolation procedure that keeps apply pressure did not find one for the U341E, the A340, or the A750 under this code. Those units follow their own service information. The U341E and A340 identification of E as lockup, and the A750 identification of SSE as SR, stay as they are. The hold-on short is the switched side on this vehicle's diagram. ATRA GEARS, July 2007, documents ground-side shift solenoids on the 4T60E, the 4T80E, the 4L60E, and the 4L80E: a short to ground can hold the coil on, and a short to B+ on the ground side is the commanded-on fault. That article is not a Toyota or Lexus diagram.
Common causes
- A short on the switched side of E's control wire, taken from this diagram rather than assumed to be a short to power
- E named wrong, so a lockup complaint is chased on an A750 SR part or a clutch complaint is chased on a U341E lockup part
- A valve that will not return, with the coil in spec
- A driver that holds the command after the wire and the coil check out
- A worn bore, which a new solenoid will stick in again
- A converter clutch worn by being dragged, on a unit where E really is the lockup solenoid
Symptoms
- On a lockup E, engine speed falling or the engine dying as the vehicle stops, with lockup commanded off
- On an A750 SSE, the SR clutch or valve staying applied in the ranges that chart names
- A coil resistance inside the spec and the symptom unchanged
- The drag, or the falling engine speed, still present in the range this chart uses for the solenoid that was named
- The electrical code for this slot stored with it
- Burnt fluid after a lockup clutch has been dragged
Diagnostic steps
- 1.Identify E. Lockup SL on a U341E or A340 can drag the engine when release is commanded. SSE on an A750 is SR. Write the name down. If the engine is stalling in traffic, tow it. A stall removes engine-driven steering or brake assist on vehicles that still use those pumps.
- 2.Wheels chocked, parking brake set. If the engine is stalling, tow it before any further check. Do not turn the key off to decide the drag is electrical. The service information for the named unit, lockup SL on a U341E or A340 and SR on an A750, is the procedure. This page does not add an unplug test those procedures were not found to print.
- 3.Ignition off. Measure the named solenoid against its own spec. A Toyota SL figure and a Lexus SLU figure are not interchangeable. An in-spec coil does not release a stuck valve. Continue to the valve and the bore.
- 4.On a lockup E, compare converter command with slip from a recording. The clutch should slip when release is commanded. If it does not, and the solenoid and the wire are in range, the chart's converter branch is next. That part is AutoZone's converter price, not the solenoid pair.
- 5.On an SR E, use the overlap on that chart. A bind is a tow. Do not import the lockup stall story.
- 6.Pan off on a lift or stands, fluid cooled, for the valve and bore. Friction material in the pan on a lockup-E transmission means the converter clutch has been shedding material.
- 7.Verify release on a recorded stop if E is lockup, or in the overlap range if E is a clutch. A passenger reads the tool. Stop the drive if the engine speed falls as the vehicle stops.
Repair cost
$300 – $900 (simple shift solenoid replacement)
The pair is AutoZone's simple solenoid replacement at $300–$900 parts and labor. A lockup solenoid that the chart says is worn out as a converter, on a U341E or A340 where E is lockup, uses the converter price in that article, $600–$1,200. An A750 SR solenoid does not. A rebuild is $1,800–$3,500. RepairPal's fluid change, $294–$356 updated 3 September 2026, is included when the pan is opened and is not a separate fix for a valve that will not return.
Estimate your repair
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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.