SORTING RULES - AUTOMATIC-TRANSMISSION PRESSURE-CONTROL SOLENOID, SHIFT SOLENOID, VALVE BODY AND LOW FLUID PRESSURE COMPLAINTS (P0776 PRESSURE CONTROL SOLENOID B PERFORMANCE, WITH P0761 SHIFT SOLENOID C PERFORMANCE AND P0868 TRANSMISSION FLUID PRESSURE LOW) PulsCar analysis of NHTSA public data, October 2026. License: CC BY 4.0 Fingerprint of the rules text below, taken when it was written and before any complaint was sorted: c9f5e3c2f3dfa947c7a6184ed1e24ff24663729351bc9654eaba0d2dbc7485c3 (2026-10-28T15:40:49Z) Fingerprint of the addendum for the second set, taken before that set was sorted: 78c75990b6b01003c3125b9d5c2c4ae951a7ec037a79e22292994336cbd7cb17 (2026-10-28T16:22:28Z) # Sorting rules - automatic-transmission pressure-control and shift-solenoid complaints (P0776 study; P0761 and P0868 sorted with it) Written before any complaint in the set was sorted. ## Pool (how the complaints were found) NHTSA complaints received 2015-01-01 to 2026-10-04 (the latest received date in the flat files). A complaint is in the pool if its narrative matches any of the following case-insensitive text searches (R2 to R4 also need a transmission word in the same narrative: transmission, trans, gearbox, gear, shift, CVT, ATF, TCM, mechatronic, DCT, DSG, torque converter): 1. R1 - the code P0776, P0761 or P0868 by any spelling (letter O for zero, a space, hyphen or period after the P, suffix 00), or a bare number after a code word. 2. R1b - sister codes of the same hardware: P0775, P0777, P0778, P0779 (pressure control solenoid B), P0760, P0762, P0763, P0764 (shift solenoid C), P0867, P0869 (transmission fluid pressure), P0746 to P0749 (pressure control solenoid A), P0960 to P0969 (pressure control solenoid control circuits). 3. R2 - pressure wording: "pressure control solenoid", "pressure solenoid", "line pressure", "transmission/trans/ATF/gearbox/oil/fluid pressure". 4. R3 - solenoid wording: "shift solenoid", "solenoid A to E", "transmission/shift/TCC/clutch/valve body solenoid", "solenoid pack/block/assembly/failure". 5. R4 - valve body wording: "valve body", "solenoid pack", "mechatronic". The exact search wording is written out under POOL HISTORY at the end of this file. Every narrative that matches any search goes to the sorting. Nothing is sampled. Background for the reader (not a sorting rule): an automatic transmission, a CVT or a dual-clutch gearbox changes gear by sending pressurised fluid through passages in a valve body. Small electric valves called solenoids open and close those passages when the transmission computer tells them to; some solenoids control the pressure (pressure control solenoids, "PCS"), others open the passage to a particular clutch (shift solenoids). P0776 is "pressure control solenoid B performance" (stuck off or stuck on), P0761 is "shift solenoid C performance", P0868 is "transmission fluid pressure low". Owners say "solenoid", "valve body", "mechatronic", "line pressure", "low fluid pressure", "harsh shift", "slipping", "limp mode", "stuck in gear", "flare", "no reverse". For each complaint record exactly one CATEGORY and four yes/no FLAGS. You see an excerpt around the matching words (and the whole narrative when nothing matched). Code what the excerpt supports; if it is cut off at a point that matters, code what is stated. ## RELEVANCE N - Not a transmission hydraulic-control event on THIS vehicle. Use N when: - the match is false (the words appear in another meaning: brake, ABS, throttle, EGR or fuel "valve body", tyre or oil pressure, a pressure sensor of another system); - the vehicle has a manual transmission or the complaint is about a clutch pedal, a hybrid battery, an engine or another system only; - the narrative only lists a solenoid, valve body or pressure item among many other parts, with no statement that this vehicle had a shifting, pressure, limp-mode, slipping or code problem tied to it; - the words come from another vehicle, a news story or advice, not this vehicle; - the vehicle is a motorcycle, bus, tractor or heavy truck. NOT N (relevant) when, on this vehicle: one of the codes in R1 or R1b is named; OR a transmission shows a shifting, slipping, flaring, harsh, delayed, stuck-in-gear, limp-mode, no-drive or low-pressure problem AND a solenoid, valve body, mechatronic unit, line/fluid pressure, transmission fluid, pump, software or another transmission cause is named, suspected by a shop/dealer/mechanic, replaced, or recalled; OR a transmission solenoid / valve body is described as failed, replaced or recalled even if the symptom is not described. A bare "transmission failed and was replaced" with none of the above words near the match is N unless a fault, cause or repair of the hydraulic-control kind is stated somewhere in the narrative. ## CATEGORY (one letter) - what was found or done, on this vehicle S - Solenoid. A pressure control solenoid, shift solenoid, TCC solenoid or solenoid pack/set was named by a shop, dealer or mechanic as the cause, or was replaced. V - Valve body. The valve body, mechatronic unit, or valve body "separator plate" / "bore" / "sleeve" was named as the cause or replaced (including a valve body replaced together with its solenoids as one unit). F - Fluid and filter. Low fluid, a leak, burnt/old/wrong/contaminated fluid, a fluid or filter service, or a cooler line was named as the cause or was the repair stated. P - Pump or pressure. The pump, a pressure regulator, "low line pressure" or "low fluid pressure" with a pressure test reading, or a pressure switch/sensor was named as the cause or replaced, and no solenoid or valve body is named. W - Wiring or connector. The transmission wiring harness, a connector, a ground, an internal transmission harness, a fuse/relay or the power feed was named as the cause or repaired/replaced. R - Software or campaign only. A TCM/PCM reflash, update, relearn or adaptive-learn reset, a recall, TSB, special-coverage, customer-satisfaction campaign or warranty-extension procedure was the only repair stated (no part named as the cause). C - Internal hard parts. Clutch packs, bands, planetary gear sets, bearings, the torque converter, the input/output shaft, the drum, the chain or the belt (CVT) were named as the cause or replaced, and no solenoid or valve body is named. T - Transmission replaced or rebuilt. The transmission (or the CVT, the dual-clutch unit) was replaced, rebuilt, remanufactured or quoted for replacement and no more specific cause is named. O - Another cause. A repair outside the categories above was named as the cause (engine, torque converter clutch lock-up only, TCM/PCM computer replaced, speed sensor, hybrid system, axle, mounts), or the symptom was traced to something else. K - Checked and cleared. The shop or dealer inspected or tested and found no fault, or only cleared the code, with no repair; or the symptom went away by itself and nothing was done. U - No diagnosis or repair stated. The event is reported but nothing was found or done yet, or the complaint does not say; also an owner's own guess, a code reader or scan with no shop/dealer/mechanic mentioned. Precedence when more than one fits: use the FINAL repair the complaint reports as having fixed it (or, if it never got fixed, the cause the shop named last). A part replaced that the owner says did not help does not count. If several parts were replaced together and no single one is named, use the most specific named part in the order S, V, W, P, F, C. A solenoid replaced as part of a valve body replacement counts as V when the narrative says valve body, as S when it says solenoid(s) only. Among R, O, K, U: R before O before K before U. A cause the owner merely guesses at does not count (an owner's "probably the solenoid" is U unless a shop or the dealer said it, or the part was replaced by someone). T applies only when no cause S, V, F, P, W, R or C is named. ## FLAGS (yes/no) limp - the complaint states that the transmission or vehicle went into limp mode, reduced power, locked in one gear (for example third or second), or would not shift up or down, because of this fault. stranded - the complaint states that the vehicle would not move, would not engage a gear or reverse, lost drive on the road, was towed, or was left stuck, because of this fault. recall - the complaint states that a recall, special coverage, service campaign, warranty extension, TSB or "known issue" notice for this vehicle was performed, offered, missing, refused, asked about, or is blamed or credited for this event. returned - the complaint states that after a repair or a reset the same light, code or symptom came back, or the repair did not fix it. ## OUTPUT One CSV line per complaint, in the order given, no header line: `odino,category,limp,stranded,recall,returned,note` category is one letter (N S V F P W R C T O K U); flags are yes or no (for N, all four flags are no); note is at most 15 words, no commas, saying what decided the category. # Addendum - the second search (written before the second set was sorted) After the first 2,404 complaints were sorted, a second search went over the whole complaint file for narratives the first search could not see. It found 950 more. They were sorted with the same rules, by the same two-sorting procedure. The second search looked for: - odd code spellings and bare numbers: "0776", "0868", "0761", "code 776"; - misspellings of solenoid (solinoid, soleniod, solonoid, selenoid ...) and of mechatronic (mechtronic, mecatronic ...) with a transmission word nearby; - "valve body" with no transmission word in the narrative; - "control valve", "valve assembly", "valve block", "shift valve", "solenoid kit", "shift body", "main control"; - pressure wording: "hydraulic pressure", "pressure test", "loss of pressure", "low pressure", "pump pressure", "pressure switch", "clutch pressure" near a transmission word; - other transmission codes of the solenoid, converter-clutch and pressure families (P0740-P0745, P0750-P0759, P0765-P0770, P0796-P0799, P0840-P0849, P0870-P0879, P0944, P0970-P0979, P1740-P1759, P2700-P2764, P2810-P2817); - torque converter clutch / lock-up wording where a solenoid, a circuit code, pressure, fluid or software cause is named; - the transmission computer (TCM, TCU) replaced, failed, reflashed or reprogrammed within a short distance of a shifting symptom. Left out on purpose: shift-lock and brake-shift-interlock solenoids, starter / purge / cam / boost / door-lock / brake solenoids, manual transmissions and clutch hydraulics, tyre / fuel / engine-oil pressure, converter shudder that names only the converter, dry-clutch dual-clutch gearboxes (electro-mechanical) with only a software or clutch cause, bare parts lists, and owner guesses with no shop or dealer statement. About 970 narratives that name the Ford molded lead frame (the transmission's internal wiring carrier) were not added; they belong to a wiring page. RULES USED TO SETTLE DISAGREEMENTS (each decision in the published complaints file names the rule applied in the column rule_applied; R1 to R10 were written before the first disagreement was settled; the letter after a number marks the group of complaints the rule was written for, and a later group could reuse an earlier rule by name; Rcons1 and Rcons1b belong to the consistency check described in method.txt) - R1 a solenoid, valve body or pressure item named only in a list of 3+ parts tried/replaced, with no statement that it was the cause or fault, and the complaint's own subject is another system -> N (if no hydraulic-control fault is stated) else U. - R2 the owner replaced the part themselves after a code reading or a shop named it -> the named part's category. The owner's own guess with no reading or shop -> U. - R3 a part replaced but the owner says the symptom stayed or came back and no other cause is named afterwards -> U with returned=yes (precedence rule: a part that did not help does not count). - R4 a shop/dealer estimate, quote or diagnosis that names a part as the one to replace counts as a named cause -> that part's category. - R5 "valve body" named as the cause or replaced -> V even when solenoids are replaced with it; "solenoid(s)" alone -> S; "transmission control module / mechatronic unit" -> V when the unit is a mechatronic (valve body + electronics), O when it is only a TCM/PCM computer. - R6 recall flag = yes only when a recall/campaign/TSB/special coverage/warranty extension is tied to THIS fault or this event; an unrelated recall mentioned in the same narrative -> no. - R7 limp flag = yes only when limp mode, reduced power, a locked gear, or refusal to shift is stated in the same event and not clearly caused by another named fault. - R8 stranded flag = yes only when no-move, no-gear, loss of drive on the road, towing or being stuck is stated in the same event; otherwise no. - R9 returned = yes only when the same light, code or symptom is stated to have come back or not been cured after a repair or reset. - R10 when the excerpt does not settle it: the narrower reading (flag no; category U). - R11a recall flag = yes when the owner says a recall/TSB/campaign for this fault is missing, should be issued, asks why none exists, or the dealer/maker says none exists; a bare "known problem", a recall in other model years, or an unrelated recall -> no. - R12a limp flag = yes when loss of power, weak acceleration, cannot hold speed, locked gear or refusal to shift is stated with the fault; dropping into neutral, dropping out of gear or an unexpected downshift alone -> no. - R13a a stated root cause that damaged the valve body (coolant, cooler failure, contaminated fluid) -> F; a power distribution center / TIPM / fuse-relay box named as the cause -> W. - R14a stranded flag = yes for no reverse, no gear engaged, stalled/no drive on the road, towed; "cannot drive the car" with no stated event, or a symptom list copied from a TSB -> no. - R15a N when the only pressure/solenoid link is another system (engine oil pressure reading or code, shift-lock solenoid), or the dealer rules the transmission out, or a transmission symptom has no hydraulic-control cause named; N implies all four flags no. - R16a when a shop quotes valve body and whole transmission, the one recommended last or as the main choice governs (T); a transmission replaced or ordered after a valve body that did not help -> T if not yet shown to fail. - R17a if the narrative names several causes use the precedence order S, V, W, P, F (a fluid leak that causes a solenoid fault -> S). - R18a an owner's bare defect statement with no shop, dealer, code or repair behind it -> U. - R19a P needs a pressure test reading; "losing line pressure" from the dealer without one and with replacement quoted -> T. - R11b a code title that names a solenoid/part, restated by the owner with no shop, dealer or mechanic naming that part as the cause -> category U (a mechanic merely reading a code counts the same). - R12b the owner only wishes, demands or remarks that a recall should exist or was never done (no recall named, none asked of the maker or dealer) -> recall no; asking whether a recall exists, or asking the maker, -> recall yes. - R13b a maker "knows/is aware" or "known issue" said by the owner with no notice, TSB, campaign or coverage -> recall no; a TSB, campaign or coverage named as existing for this vehicle -> recall yes; recalls on other models or years -> no. - R14b shifting into neutral, coasting or dropping drive while moving counts as loss of drive on the road -> stranded yes. - R15b a recall/campaign/software update done before any failure of this vehicle (preventive), with the failure happening afterwards -> returned no. - R16b a later event with a different symptom or a different named cause, or months/years after a repair that held -> not a return (returned no); category follows the first (matched) event. - R17b bus, shuttle or commercial-chassis vehicle -> N, all flags no. - R18b the dealer says only "transmission failed" with no replacement quoted and no repair -> U. - R19b when pressure valve/regulator and fluid leak are both named as one cause, the earlier letter in the order S, V, W, P, F, C wins (P before F). - R20b the complaint is only about a recall/campaign on the solenoid pack, valve body or mechatronic unit (performed, refused, not available) and no shop names a part as a fault on this vehicle -> R. - R21b the match comes only from another system's pressure item (oil pressure sensor) and the transmission appears only as a recall in the timeline, no transmission fault tied to the event -> N, all flags no. - R22b total loss of drive (dead stop, no gears, only reverse) -> stranded yes; limp is not implied unless limp mode, reduced power or a locked gear is also stated. - R11d where R11a and R12b conflict, R12b governs: the owner only asking/wishing/remarking that a recall should exist -> recall no; recall yes only if a recall/TSB/campaign is named as existing for this vehicle, the maker or dealer is asked or states one, or it was done/offered/refused. - R12d a copied list of 3+ recalls (a VIN recall lookup) in which "transmission main control valve body" is one line, with no fault, event or focus on that line -> N (R1); if the complaint is about that valve body/transmission recall alone (1-2 lines, or its text is about this recall) -> R20b (R, recall yes). - R13d "lead frame" (6R80 internal wiring carrier with the speed sensors), or a speed sensor stated as failing inside it -> W; a speed sensor alone, outside the lead frame -> O. - R14d a thing the owner merely observed (burnt fluid, metal in fluid) and no shop named as the cause is not a named cause, so category falls through to T / U. - R15d a part replaced that did not help does not count; if a reprogram/relearn is the last repair stated -> R (not U). - R11e a stated root cause that damaged the valve body takes the root cause's own category even when it is a hard part (defective torque converter that wrecked the valve body and pump -> C); extends R13a. - R12e a repair or parts swap done to cure this fault after which the failure is stated to persist or to be only partly cured -> returned yes; repairs aimed at other faults (turbo, purge valve) do not count. - R11f a converter-clutch lock-up fault (TCC stuck off/on, P0740-P0744) is O, not C (category O of the sorting rules); a later transmission replacement then governs -> T (R16a). - R12f a tow after a collision (not for loss of drive caused by the fault) -> stranded no. - R13f after a part swap that failed, the dealer/maker advises clearing the code or finds nothing to fix -> K (extends Rcons1b). - R14f a bare pool-family code (no symptom, no shop naming a part) -> U, not N (extends R11b, R10). - R11g the text is only a bare code, a code-list title, or TSB/bulletin numbers with no symptom, event or repair on this vehicle -> N (all flags no). - R12g torque converter clutch (TCC / lock-up) or its circuit named alone -> O (category O of the sorting rules); the converter itself named as the failed or slipping part -> C. - R13g the owner quotes or pastes a TSB/bulletin naming a part or fluid as the fix, with no dealer/shop diagnosis, quote or repair on this vehicle -> U; a dealer/maker quote of that fix for this vehicle -> the fix's own letter (R4). - R14g a dealer/shop stating that a TCM reprogram/update/reflash is needed (diagnosis or quote, even if not done) -> R; the owner's own claim -> U; a reflash done earlier that did not cure -> U (R3). - R15g a symptom stated to have happened again after dealer visits that only cleared codes, reset, or could not reproduce (K) -> returned yes; no recurrence stated -> returned no. - R16g a code or symptom stated to have vanished by itself on restart, with only a parts-store scan and no repair -> K (the precedence rule of the sorting rules K before U). - R17g metal, burnt fluid or debris found by the dealer with internal-fault codes and no cause or repair stated -> U (a finding is not a named cause; R14d, R18b). - R18g the pasted recall text names a faulty wiring harness as the cause (reprogram only as the remedy) -> W (a named cause outranks the remedy). - R19g an NHTSA investigation number is not a recall, TSB or campaign -> recall no. - R20g a TSB-prescribed software update quoted together with a fluid service -> F (R means software was the only repair stated). - Rcons1 consistency check, third set: a part named as cause and replaced where the narrative says the symptom stayed or came back shortly (under about 6 months), with no later different cause or fix named -> U (R3, the precedence rule of the sorting rules); repairs done together and not curing -> U. - Rcons1 a later named transmission replaced/rebuilt/quoted after the part failed -> T; a dealer finding nothing / saying normal after the failed repairs -> K (Rcons1b, R13f). - Rcons1 a repair that held about a year or more (or years / tens of thousands of miles) before a new event (R16b) -> category kept, returned set to no. - Rcons1 software reflash/relearn or recall update stated as the last repair stays R even when it did not cure (R15d); not changed in this check. - Rcons1 consistency check: a part named as cause and replaced where the narrative says the symptom stayed or came back shortly, with no later different cause or fix named -> U (R3, the precedence rule of the sorting rules). - Rcons1 a later named fix/cause after the part failed: later transmission replaced/rebuilt/quoted -> T; reprogram/relearn as the separate last repair -> R (R15d); later named different part -> its own letter. - Rcons1 a repair that held for many months or years before a new event (R16b), or a mechatronic/solenoid that was replaced and failed a long time later -> category kept, returned set to no. - Rcons1 repairs done together with a reprogram in one visit and not curing: U (no single repair stands as the last one). - Rcons1 a part/cause category stays only while no repair of that part is stated to have failed: a solenoid / valve body / harness replaced (or repaired) and the symptom stayed or came back soon, with no later named cause -> U (returned yes); with a later transmission replacement or rebuild -> T; with a reflash/relearn as last repair -> R; a part named but never replaced keeps its letter. - Rcons1b a repair that held for many months or miles before a new failure, or a preventive recall/software step before the failure, is not a return (returned no, letter kept per R16b/R15b); a field tech finding the vehicle to spec after the failed part swap -> K. POOL HISTORY - First search: 2,404 complaints, found by the searches R1, R1b, R2, R3 and R4 described above (a complaint can match more than one: R1 134, R1b 153, R2 583, R3 371, R4 1,453). Nothing was sampled. They were sorted in 11 groups of about 220. - The search wording as written (case-insensitive; \s is a space, \b a word edge, ? means optional): R1, the three codes (letter O for zero, a space, hyphen or period after the P, suffix 00): (?