The gearbox input speed reading does not match what the ECU expects. Typically felt as harsh, flaring or delayed gear changes.
P0716 — also written PO716, P 0716, 0716 — is the OBD-II code for input/turbine speed sensor range/performance. Same code, same fix: this page covers every spelling of it.
P0716 is a transmission fault code, typically costing £150–£700 to put right in a UK garage.
What causes P0716?
- Failed input speed sensor
- Metal debris on the sensor tip from clutch wear
- Low fluid level
- Wiring damage at the gearbox plug
How P0716 is fixed
- Inspect the sensor tip for swarf — debris means internal wear
- Replace the sensor
- Fluid and filter service
- Repair the gearbox connector
P0716 repair cost in the UK
Most P0716 repairs land between £150–£700 including parts and labour. The spread is wide because the cheap fix (a sensor, a hose, a leak) and the expensive fix (a major component) throw the same code — which is why a proper diagnosis before parts are bought saves the most money.
Can you drive with P0716?
Short trips only. Harsh shifting accelerates internal damage.
Urgency: high.
What P0716 is telling you
Gearbox faults are logged when the shift the control unit asked for is not the shift it measured. Fluid condition and level affect that measurement as much as any electrical part, which is why the fluid is checked before anything is dismantled.
On P0716 specifically — input/turbine speed sensor range/performance — the stored code records the moment that check failed, not the moment the part gave up. That gap is why two cars with the same code can need completely different repairs.
How P0716 is diagnosed properly
Each of the known causes is ruled in or out in cost order, cheapest and most likely first. On P0716 that means working through them like this:
- Failed input speed sensor — compared against live data and a known-good reference before it is condemned — a sensor reading the wrong thing accurately is a different fault from a dead one.
- Metal debris on the sensor tip from clutch wear — compared against live data and a known-good reference before it is condemned — a sensor reading the wrong thing accurately is a different fault from a dead one.
- Low fluid level — checked for level and condition first, as the cheapest possible cause and a common one.
- Wiring damage at the gearbox plug — checked with the loom flexed and the engine warm, because a wiring fault that is intermittent when cold shows itself under heat and vibration.
An hour of diagnostic time on P0716 routinely saves more than it costs, because the alternative is buying the most expensive part on that list and hoping.
The repairs that actually clear P0716
- Inspect the sensor tip for swarf — debris means internal wear
- Replace the sensor
- Fluid and filter service
- Repair the gearbox connector
After the repair the code is cleared and the car is driven until the relevant readiness monitor completes, rather than handed back as soon as the light goes out. A code that has only been erased will come straight back on the next drive cycle.
What happens if P0716 is ignored
This is a stop-and-sort fault rather than a wait-for-the-service fault. Ignoring it risks turning a sensor-money repair into a component-money one.
For reference, P0716 typically lands at £150–£700 all-in at an independent garage in the UK — main-dealer quotes for the same job usually sit above that.
Getting P0716 looked at
Bob's Mechanical Repairs is an independent garage in Birnam, Dunkeld, Perthshire, with 32 years of Bob's experience on the tools. If P0716 is showing on your car, bring the scan results with you — we will read the live data ourselves, tell you which of the causes above it actually is, and price the repair before any work starts.