GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

'06 Base ModelAT12500 milesWell, my CEL came on yesterday and I initially thought I forgot to tighten the gas cap. After one day, it's still on so I decided to have it scanned. The OBD indicates that it is a defective pressure control solenoid. Anyone have any idea what this solenoid does? BTW, it seems to be shifting harder, especially from first to second gear.Luckily it's still under warranty. I will rant about Toyota quality (or lack there of)in another forum.

Probably a stuck solenoid in the tranny. It happens in a few of them, I think there is a TSB out there for it. A flush will usually cure it if you do it quick enough, otherwise your tranny will go bye-bye. And please understand that every car company has lemons. It's the rate and percentage of those lemons that matters. Toyota still makes one of the most reliable vehicles available. But I understand your frustration.

The pressure control solenoid is responsible for regulating mainline pressure that is responsible for operating the hydraulics in the transmission. The line pressure is raised under high throttle condition to prevent the clutch and band applications from slipping.It sounds like it may be stuck open which means high line pressure which in turn would be hard shifts.Don’t leave it like that for too long as high pressure causes wear on the frictions and also not good for the seals. It may be a mechanical problem but normally the PCM cannot detect the line pressure (I’m not sure if the A246E has a pressure sensor). So I would guess this is an electrical problem.Whoever it is fixing it should check the line pressure and also check that the PCM is good by looking at the pressure regulation pulses to the solenoid at the connector. If that checks out probably the thing to do would be to clean or replace the solenoid. The electrical condition of the solenoid should be testable at the connector for continuity using a multimeter.It may worth doing a flush first in case some debris has got stuck in there. The better way to do it would be to take it out and clean and test the solenoid in a tester but would be more expensive. However it seems like you are covered by the warranty.

Sorry, but after dealing with this issue and the wife's '04 Camry starter problems (at 30k), I personally am not convinced of Toyota's superior quality. At this rate, I suppose that I could expect one major/semi-major mechanical issue with Toyota vehicles before they hit 30k.

anyone replaced their own pressure control solenoid?

Quote, originally posted by northvibe »anyone replaced their own pressure control solenoid?I've watched one be replaced. I wouldn't recommend trying this one unless you are a transmission mechanic.

Quote, originally posted by northvibe »anyone replaced their own pressure control solenoid?Having issues with yours on the Escape?

Quote, originally posted by ou.grizzly »Having issues with yours on the Escape? haha no. Some on on the cobalt forum messaged me about his moms vibe.