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P0803

Upshift/Skip Shift Solenoid Control Circuit

General electrical fault on the upshift/skip-shift solenoid control circuit — used on manual-transmission performance vehicles to force a skip from 1st straight to 4th under low-load cruise (CAFE fuel-economy feature). With the input invalid the lockout cannot be applied.

  • Check engine light: Yes
  • Emissions related: No
  • Repair difficulty: medium

Symptoms

  • Check engine or transmission warning light on
  • Harsh, delayed, or missing shifts
  • Possible limp mode (locked in one gear)
  • Slipping or shuddering during gear changes

Common causes

Ordered by how often each turns out to be the cause.

  • Open or shorted control wireCommon

Parts involved

  • Skip Shift Solenoid
  • Wiring Harness

P0803 is a generic OBD-II code defined by SAE J2012. Exact wording and diagnostic procedure vary by manufacturer and model. Code definitions are drawn from the public-domain OBDex dataset; the workshop notes are our own.