P0173: owner reports and bulletins

Powertrain (generic, all makes). We haven't written the explanation for this code yet. Below is what owners and manufacturers have filed with NHTSA.

Got P0173 on your scanner? Tell the mechanic your year, make, model and any symptoms and you'll get the likely cause and what to check first. Ask about this code.

What owners report to NHTSA

2 complaints filed with NHTSA mention P0173, across 2 different models. The component owners most often filed it under: power train:automatic transmission.

Manufacturer service bulletins that name P0173

1 technical service bulletins and manufacturer communications filed with NHTSA mention P0173, from 1 makes. A bulletin means the manufacturer has documented a known cause or a fix procedure for that model. Examples:

  • FORD F-150 (2018, 2019, 2020), bulletin 10171964: Some 2018-2020 F-150 vehicles equipped with a 5.0L engine may exhibit an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) with diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) P0172, P0173, P0174 and/or P0175. This may be due to incorrect fl…

Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint database and manufacturer communications file, snapshots September 2026. A complaint or bulletin that mentions a code is a report about that vehicle, not a statement that the code has one cause.