The code appeared right after a transmission service. Is that a coincidence?

Probably not, and it is worth checking before paying for any diagnosis. A control line reads high when the module cannot pull it down, and the simplest way for that to happen is for the coil not to be in circuit at all — an unseated case connector, a plug pushed on far enough to feel right without latching, a terminal that did not click home. Electrically that is indistinguishable from a short to battery. Transmission connectors get disturbed during fluid and filter services, cooler line work, mounts and subframe jobs. Unplug it, look at the faces, reseat it firmly and see whether the code comes back.

Three solenoid circuits are all reporting high. Do I need three solenoids?

Almost certainly not. Three separate coils failing at the same moment is not a realistic event. Solenoids frequently share a common supply and a common connector, so several channels reporting high together points at that shared element — the feed, the connector, or the module — rather than at the parts. Replacing solenoids one at a time in that situation gets expensive with no improvement. Pulling every stored code before condemning anything is the step that catches it.

The car drives fine. Why is this rated as serious?

Because the drama and the consequence are inverted here. Solenoid 'B' serves one clutch or one function rather than setting pressure for the whole transmission, so when it stops responding the module works around it and the car stays usable — it just will not do one particular thing. Drivers live with that for months. Meanwhile, whatever shift element depends on that circuit is either locked out or being applied at a default pressure the module did not choose, and a clutch carrying torque at the wrong pressure slips, heats and sheds material. The quiet symptoms are exactly why the eventual bill is sometimes a clutch pack instead of a connector.

Can I keep driving with P0967?

In the short term, yes — the car will normally drive and steer without difficulty, and you can reach a workshop under your own power. What you should not do is settle into it, precisely because it is comfortable enough to settle into. Book it within a couple of weeks, avoid towing and heavy loads in the meantime, and pay attention to any flare between gears or revs rising without matching acceleration. Those are signs that a clutch has started to slip, and at that point the repair stops being electrical.

OBD-II trouble code

P0967: Pressure Control Solenoid "B" Control Circuit High

More of these are caused by the last repair than by any component. A connector left unseated after a fluid service reads exactly like a short to battery — so before tracing anything, ask who has been under this car recently.

High severityPowertrainTransmission / Pressure ControlDrivable short-term

Quick facts

System: Powertrain
Category: Transmission / Pressure Control
Severity: High severity
Drivable: Usually safe to drive short-term
Repair cost range: $0 – $1,600
DIY difficulty: Shop recommended

One of 27 pressure control solenoid codes

P0967 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 27 and explains how to read them against each other.

See all pressure control solenoid codes →

Browse every code in P0900–P0999, or start from the full code library.

What does P0967 mean?

P0967 means the module commanded the solenoid 'B' control line low and the voltage stayed high. Electrically that is the same statement the mainline version of this code makes. In practice the two behave differently, for two reasons worth setting out before anybody starts tracing wires.

The first is that this code has an unusually high rate of being self-inflicted. A control line reads high when the driver cannot pull it down, and one very ordinary way to achieve that is for the load to be missing — an unseated connector, a terminal that did not latch, a plug that was pushed on far enough to feel right and not far enough to lock. With no coil in circuit, the sense line simply sits at supply voltage and the module reports high, indistinguishable from a genuine short to battery. Transmission case connectors get disturbed during fluid services, filter changes, cooler line work, mount replacement and subframe jobs, and 'B' circuit terminals are just as vulnerable as any other. So the first question on this code costs nothing and solves a meaningful share of cases: has anybody been under this car in the last few weeks? If so, unplug the case connector, look at the terminal faces, reseat it properly and check whether the code returns before doing anything else.

The same logic covers the diagnostic probe. A meter probe pushed into the back of a connector during an earlier job can spread a female terminal so that it no longer grips the pin. The circuit then works intermittently or not at all, and it reads high when it fails open. If the code appeared shortly after someone diagnosed something else in the same connector, that is a strong lead rather than an unlucky coincidence.

The second difference is about how quiet the fault is, and it inverts what the driver's experience suggests. Because solenoid 'B' is a selective regulator rather than the mainline one, a circuit stuck high means that one solenoid never energises. Whatever clutch or function it serves goes to its default state, and the module works around it. The car is not undriveable. It is often barely different — it just will not do one particular thing, and drivers describe it in exactly those terms: fine, except it will not hold that gear, or fine, except it never seems to settle at motorway speed. Low drama. That is precisely why these get driven for months, and why the eventual bill is sometimes a clutch pack rather than a connector. The code is quiet and the consequence is not.

There is one shortcut worth taking early, and it applies particularly on transmissions where several solenoids share a common supply. Pull every stored code before condemning anything. If two or three solenoid circuits are all reporting high at the same time, three separate parts have not failed at once — the common feed, the shared connector, or the module is the fault, and replacing solenoids one by one will get nowhere. Conversely, one solenoid reporting high while its neighbours on the same feed are clean is a strong argument that the fault really is on that channel.

After the easy checks, the useful measurements are straightforward. Confirm the solenoid coil is present and within specification at the case connector, since an open coil produces this code just as reliably as a short to battery. Check the feed side, because a solenoid with no supply also gives the driver nothing to pull down. Then, if the circuit is intact, look for the other conductor — a short to battery needs two specific wires to meet, and connector bodies are where that happens far more often than open harness runs.

Common causes

Transmission case connector left unseated or not latched after previous work
Terminal spread by a meter probe during an earlier diagnosis
Solenoid 'B' coil failed open, leaving nothing for the driver to pull down
Open or high resistance in the solenoid feed circuit
Water or corrosion in a connector bridging the control pin to an adjacent live terminal
Control wire shorted to a battery-voltage circuit elsewhere in the harness
Common supply fault affecting several solenoids on the same feed
Poor ground for the solenoid circuit
Damaged connector housing letting a terminal move out of position
Failed module output driver on that channel

Symptoms

Car drives almost normally but will not do one specific thing
One gear unavailable or not held
No lockup or unsettled behaviour at steady motorway speed on some transmissions
Check engine light with very little change in how the car feels
Fault appearing within weeks of a fluid service, filter change or work under the car
Multiple solenoid circuit codes stored together, pointing at a shared feed
Higher engine revs than expected for the road speed
Transmission restricted to a reduced shift schedule
Fault present from the first start of every journey rather than intermittently
Slipping or flare developing gradually after the code has been ignored for a long period

Diagnostic steps

1.Ask what work has been done under the vehicle recently, because an unseated or unlatched case connector produces this code and accounts for a meaningful share of cases.
2.Unplug the transmission case connector, inspect the terminal faces, reseat it fully and check whether the code returns before doing anything else.
3.Test terminal tension on the 'B' control pin — a terminal spread by an earlier meter probe will read high when it fails to grip.
4.Pull every stored code in every module, since several solenoid circuits reporting high together indicate a shared feed or the module rather than several failed parts.
5.Measure the solenoid coil at the case pass-through connector, because an open coil produces this code exactly as a short to battery does.
6.Check the solenoid feed for supply voltage, since a solenoid with no feed gives the driver nothing to pull down.
7.Check the circuit ground, which can also prevent the line being pulled low.
8.If the circuit is intact, look for the second conductor — a short to battery requires two specific wires to meet, and connector bodies are where that usually happens.
9.Disconnect the transmission case connector entirely and see whether the code still sets, which isolates the module side from the vehicle side.
10.Confirm the repair on a road test with the affected gear or function exercised, not by clearing the code alone.

Repair cost

$0 – $1,600

The low end of this range is genuinely zero, because a connector left unseated after previous work is a real and common cause and reseating it costs nothing. Diagnosis is otherwise $120 to $250. A terminal or connector repair is $150 to $450. A harness repair between two circuits runs $250 to $700. Solenoid 'B' replacement is $450 to $1,100 fitted depending on how deep it sits, and a solenoid pack with fluid and filter reaches $1,600. If the code has been carried for months and a clutch has been slipping as a result, the number leaves this range and becomes a transmission repair.

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DIY vs shop

Leave this one to a qualified shop. It typically involves emissions-critical components, refrigerant handling, or other work that requires manufacturer-grade tooling, training, or certification. DIY attempts often produce a more expensive problem than the original code.