OBD-II Code
P1717
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)
$40–$650
From this code's diagnostic notes. Varies by vehicle, diagnosis, parts, and local labor. This is not a repair quote.
P1717 is a Ford-specific code meaning the MLPS signal is in range (no open or short) but the value doesn't match what the trans is actually doing — the PCM/TCM cross-references MLPS position against input/output shaft speed, gear-engagement pressure, and shift solenoid commands, and P1717 sets when the MLPS reports one position while the gearbox is clearly operating in a different one.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 procedureP1717 is a Ford-specific code meaning the MLPS signal is in range (no open or short) but the value doesn't match what the trans is actually doing — t…
P1717 is a Ford-specific code meaning the MLPS signal is in range (no open or short) but the value doesn't match what the trans is actually doing — the PCM/TCM cross-references MLPS position against input/output shaft speed, gear-engagement pressure, and shift solenoid commands, and P1717 sets when the MLPS reports one position while the gearbox is clearly operating in a different one.
Cheapest-first ladder
- Verify shifter cable adjustment first — a stretched cable from age or a kinked cable from a previous drivetrain R&R will leave the manual valve lever in the wrong physical detent while the column indicator and MLPS read correctly; pull the cable end off the manual lever and confirm the trans-side detent positions align with the column-side positions across all six gears ($0, 15 min).
- Scan live data while driving and watch MLPS position vs. commanded gear vs. actual gear ratio (input speed / output speed) — if MLPS reads Drive but the ratio computation shows 2nd-gear lockup, the trans is mechanically fine and the MLPS is sending a voltage that's inside spec but lying.
- Verify MLPS voltage steps at the sensor connector: Park ~0.5V, Reverse ~1.2V, Neutral ~2.0V, Drive ~2.8V, 2 ~3.6V, 1 ~4.4V; a sensor wiper that's worn into a 'flat spot' will read in-range but at a wrong absolute value.
- Check for related codes — P1717 paired with P1716 typically means full sensor failure; P1717 alone usually means cable adjustment or wiper wear. Expensive-misdiagnosis caveat: P1717 on a vehicle with recent trans-cooler line work or trans removal is 80% likely to be a shift-cable adjustment problem — don't condemn the MLPS or pull the pan until you've verified cable indexing at the manual lever.
Vehicle-specific patterns1996-2003 Ford Explorer/Mountaineer and 1997-2011 Ford Ranger with the 5R55E/5R55W/5R55S throws P1717 from MLPS wiper wear and shift-cable stretch —…
- 1996-2003Ford Explorer/Mountaineer and 1997-2011 Ford Ranger with the 5R55E/5R55W/5R55S throws P1717 from MLPS wiper wear and shift-cable stretch — the Explorer's column-to-trans cable is exposed to a tight bend at the firewall that fatigues the cable jacket.
- 1996-2010F150 and 1996-2014 E150/E250/E350 vans with the AODE/4R70W see P1717 from the same wiper-wear pattern and from shift-cable adjustment drift after engine/trans R&R.
- 1996-2011Crown Vic Police Interceptor sees P1717 in fleet service.
- 1996-2010Mustang GT/V6 with the AODE/4R70W sees P1717 less often.
Estimated repair$40 to $650.
Look up another code
More free tools