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OBD-II Code

P0976

Severity

Not yet reviewed

Nobody on our side has assessed this code yet, so we are not going to guess at how serious it is.

Can you drive it

We cannot say

Treat it as unknown until a shop reads it with live data. If the check-engine light is FLASHING, stop driving as soon as it is safe to — that means an active misfire, whatever the code.

Indicative cost (USD)

$300–$1,500

From this code's diagnostic notes. Varies by vehicle, diagnosis, parts, and local labor. This is not a repair quote.

P0976 is the Shift Solenoid B Control Circuit Low — the TCM commands SS-B and reads circuit voltage stuck low (short to ground in the wire, shorted winding, or a TCM driver that's latched on).

How a shop works this

Work from evidence to part, not the other way round. A code names a circuit or a symptom; it does not name the part that failed.

  1. Note every code that is set, not just this one.

    Codes that appear together usually narrow the cause faster than any one of them read alone.

  2. Read the freeze frame — the conditions the fault was recorded under.

    Cold or warm, idle or load, road speed and engine speed. A fault that only appears cold is a different fault from one that only appears under load, even with the same code on the scanner.

  3. Confirm the fault is current rather than history.

    Clear the code and see whether it returns under those same conditions. A code that does not come back may have been logged during a repair, a flat battery, or a bad connection that has since been disturbed.

  4. Then follow the diagnostic notes further down this page, in the order they are written.

    They are written in the order a shop works this code, cheapest checks first. Where they name a component, inspect its wiring and connector before replacing it.

If the code comes back after a repair, the underlying fault is still there. That is the point to bring in a scanner with live data and freeze-frame, or a shop that has one.

Common symptoms

  • Check engine light
Read the full diagnostic procedureP0976 is the Shift Solenoid B Control Circuit Low — the TCM commands SS-B and reads circuit voltage stuck low (short to ground in the wire, shorted w…

P0976 is the Shift Solenoid B Control Circuit Low — the TCM commands SS-B and reads circuit voltage stuck low (short to ground in the wire, shorted winding, or a TCM driver that's latched on).

Cheapest-first

  1. unplug the case connector, clear the code, and key-cycle the TCM. If the circuit-low fault clears with SS-B unplugged, the short is between the TCM and the case connector (harness chafe), and the solenoid is innocent — chase the wire.
  2. If the fault persists with the connector unplugged, the TCM driver is failed; rare but it happens.
  3. With the connector plugged back in, ohm SS-B pin-to-pin: 8-30 ohms cold is the typical spec band (19-31 ohms GM 4L60E, 9-16 ohms Ford 4R75W, 11-15 ohms Chrysler 545RFE pack, 10-15 ohms Toyota A340/A750).
  4. Anything under 3 ohms pin-to-pin = shorted winding, solenoid (or pack) replacement.
  5. In-spec ohms pin-to-pin with the code still setting = ohm pin-to-ground on each leg looking for <100k ohms — that's the classic ATF-migration short, where overheated fluid creeps up the wire insulation and shorts the conductor to the case.
  6. Active current at full command should be 0.5-1.5 A; pegged-current readings (2-3 A or driver-trip into protection) confirm the short.
  7. Expensive-misdiagnosis caveat: on Chrysler 545RFE/68RFE a P0976 short-to-ground often originates inside the solenoid-pack body where the winding insulation has cooked from years of high-temp ATF — the pack is sealed and not field-serviceable, full pack replacement is the only repair, and any tech who tries to splice or repin will be back in 1,000 miles with the same code.
  8. RAM 545RFE/68RFE solenoid-pack replacement runs $500-900 parts plus labor at independents per AAMCO/RepairPal cost data.
Vehicle-specific patterns1996-2007 GM 4L60E/4L65E sets P0976 from internal-harness chafe at the case-rib pass-through where the harness rides on a sharp aluminum edge under l…
  • 1996-2007GM 4L60E/4L65E sets P0976 from internal-harness chafe at the case-rib pass-through where the harness rides on a sharp aluminum edge under load — repair with internal harness kit, $80-150 plus pan-drop labor.
  • 2003-2010Dodge Ram 1500/2500 with the 545RFE and 2007-up 68RFE shows P0976 frequently in the 70k-150k mile band as pack windings break down — pack replacement $500-900 parts plus labor at independents.
  • 2007-2013Ram HD with Aisin AS69RC throws P0976 from SS-B winding insulation breakdown after a hot-fluid event, valve-body R&R, $800-1,400.
  • 2001-2010GM HD with the Allison 1000 sets the LCT1000 equivalent from PCS-2/PCS-3 wire chafe at the case-flange ridge — Allison Transmission service guidance directs technicians to repair the chafe before condemning the solenoid.

Estimated repair$300 to $1,500.

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