P0916 means the control module saw the gear shift position sensor signal below its minimum acceptable voltage. It sits in the P091x family for that sensor: P0914 is the general circuit code, P0915 is range or performance, P0916 is low, P0917 is high, P0918 is intermittent, and P0919 is a control error. It is not the same sensor as the transmission range sensor on an automatic (P0705 through P0709), which reports Park, Reverse, Neutral and Drive. Gear shift position is a separate input, and the vehicles that have it are more specific than the generic name suggests.
Severity: moderate. Can you keep driving? Usually, with care. On a manual gearbox with auto start-stop, the module uses gear position to decide whether it is safe to stop and restart the engine, so the usual consequence is start-stop disabled and a warning light. On an automated manual or a dual-clutch unit the sensor is part of the shift mechanism itself and the consequence can be refusal to engage a gear or a fixed-gear limp mode, which makes the vehicle a tow. On some vehicles the module also uses gear position to allow cranking only in neutral, so a no-crank complaint can arrive with this code.
Which vehicles carry a gear shift position sensor
- Manual gearboxes with engine start-stop, hill hold or launch assistance. Many European and Asian manuals from about 2010 on have a sensor on the shift linkage or inside the gearbox that reports neutral, or reports which gate the lever is in. Without it the module cannot know that the engine can be restarted safely.
- Automated manual transmissions. Single-clutch automated manuals, such as the units in some Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Smart, Toyota and older Land Rover applications, use a gear position sensor on the actuator to confirm what the actuator did. A 2009 Land Rover Range Rover Sport case on a technicians' question service showed P0916 stored together with P0900 (clutch actuator circuit) and Land Rover's own P181B and P186D, with the symptoms being improper clutch engagement and shifting.
- Dual-clutch transmissions carry position sensors on each shift fork or drum, and some report faults on those under the P091x family.
- Some manual vehicles report this code for the neutral switch alone, where the module reads a simple two-state input and P0916 means the input sat low when it should not have.
If the vehicle is a conventional automatic, a scan tool showing P0916 is worth re-reading against the manufacturer's definitions; the automatic's range sensor uses the P070x family.
What "circuit low" means for this sensor
Most gear position sensors are one of two kinds:
A potentiometer or Hall-effect sensor with a 5-volt reference, a ground and a signal that moves with lever or fork position. "Low" means the signal sat at or near zero, which is what a short to ground or an open signal wire (on a module that pulls the line down) looks like.
A switch that closes to ground in neutral. "Low" then means the module saw the neutral state when other inputs said the vehicle was in gear and moving, which is a switch stuck closed or a signal wire grounded.
Either way the distinction from P0915 (range or performance) matters: P0915 is a signal that is present but implausible, which points at the sensor or its adjustment; P0916 is a signal at the floor, which points at the wiring first.
Causes, in the order they are found
A chafed or grounded signal wire. The harness to a sensor on the gearbox runs low in the engine bay, near the exhaust, the subframe and the shift cables. It takes heat, road spray and movement, and a wire that rubs through to ground on the gearbox case sets P0916 with a perfect sensor. Technicians who see P0914, P0916 and P0917 stored together on the same vehicle usually find a chafed wire making intermittent contact with the case.
A connector problem. Corrosion from road spray, oil from a gearbox seal, a terminal pushed back. The sensor sits where water and gear oil land.
A sensor out of adjustment or mechanically damaged. On sensors mounted to the external shift linkage, a bent lever, a worn bushing or a sensor that has shifted on its mount produces a signal at the wrong end of its range. This more often sets P0915, but a sensor pushed all the way to one stop reads low.
A failed sensor. A Hall sensor with a dead output or a potentiometer with a broken track. Confirmed by testing rather than assumed.
A reference or ground problem shared with other sensors, when several sensor codes appear at once.
The module, last, after the circuit and the sensor have measured correctly.
A diagnostic order for a sensor most people have never seen
- Confirm the vehicle has this sensor and find it. On a manual, look on the shift linkage at the gearbox, on the top cover, or inside the shift tower. On an automated manual, on the actuator. The service manual's component location is the only reliable source.
- Record the codes and freeze frame before clearing. P0916 with P0914 or P0917 points at an intermittent ground on the harness; P0916 with clutch actuator codes on an automated manual points at the actuator assembly. See freeze frame data.
- Watch the gear position parameter live. Move the lever through each gate (engine off, or as the manual permits) and watch the value change. A signal that reads zero in every position with a good reference is the fault live; a signal that reads correctly means the fault is intermittent and the harness is the target.
- Open the connector and look. Oil, water, corrosion, loose terminals.
- Test the circuit, key on, sensor unplugged. Reference near 5 V, ground under 0.1 V of drop, and note what the signal wire reads unplugged (the manual states whether the module pulls it up or down). A signal at zero when it should be pulled up means the wire is grounded somewhere between the connector and the module.
- Wiggle-test the harness along the gearbox, at the subframe and near the exhaust while watching the live value, and inspect it where it touches the case.
- Check adjustment where the sensor is on the external linkage, and replace the sensor only if the circuit passed and the sensor reads wrong at the sensor's own pins.
- Clear and verify through every gate, including a start-stop cycle or a full shift sequence on an automated manual, then let the readiness monitors complete.
What P0916 does not tell you
It does not say the sensor is bad and it does not say which gear the module thought it was in. It says the signal sat at the floor of its range. On the gearboxes that carry this sensor, the harness runs through the roughest part of the engine bay, and a grounded wire is far more common than a dead sensor. The unplugged voltage test settles which; the general principle is covered in what a trouble code does not tell you.
Frequently asked questions
Can I drive with a P0916 code?
On a conventional manual with start-stop, yes; the usual effect is start-stop disabled and a warning light. On an automated manual or dual-clutch unit the sensor is part of the shifting mechanism and the vehicle may refuse a gear or hold one gear, in which case have it towed rather than driven.
Is P0916 the same as a transmission range sensor code?
No. The transmission range sensor on an automatic reports Park, Reverse, Neutral and Drive and sets P0705 through P0709. Gear shift position is a separate sensor on manual and automated manual gearboxes that reports the selected gear or neutral, and it sets P0914 through P0919.
Why does my car not crank with P0916?
Some manuals allow cranking only when the module believes the gearbox is in neutral. If the gear position signal is stuck low and the module cannot confirm neutral, it may refuse to crank, or crank only in neutral with the clutch pressed. Fixing the sensor circuit restores normal cranking.
How much does it cost to fix P0916?
A harness repair or a connector is usually under an hour or two of labor. A gear position sensor on an external linkage is an inexpensive part with a short replacement time. A sensor inside an automated manual's actuator is a larger job, and on some units means the actuator assembly.
Related codes
- P0914 / P0915: gear shift position circuit and range or performance. A present but implausible signal points at the sensor or its adjustment.
- P0917 / P0918: gear shift position circuit high and intermittent. Stored with P0916 when a chafed wire makes and breaks contact with ground.
- P0919: gear shift position control error, on automated manuals where the actuator did not reach the commanded position.
- P0900 through P0904: clutch actuator circuit codes on automated manuals, often stored alongside.
- P0705 through P0709: transmission range sensor, the automatic's equivalent input.
The code number itself tells you the family and the domain; how to read an OBD2 code number explains what each character means.