P0720 Code: Output Speed Sensor Causes and Fixes

A P0720 code is the OBD-II diagnostic trouble code for the transmission's output speed sensor circuit: the computer stopped getting a believable signal from the sensor that reads how fast the output shaft turns. You usually meet it as a check engine light or a wrench light, often after a sudden hard downshift.

It's also typed PO720 with a letter O, or written P0720-00 with a suffix, and it's the same code. On Fords it most often arrives with P0722, in 36 of the 128 Ford complaints, and on Infinitis with P0500.

Below is where the sensor really is on your transmission, what happens when you drive on it, which recalls pay for the fix, and what the parts cost on the models drivers ask about most. It comes from Ford's six recall filings and three coverage programs, Infiniti's and Nissan's bulletins, and the 158 federal complaints that name the code.

What does P0720 mean?

It means the output speed signal went missing or stopped making sense to the computer that runs the transmission. Ford's recall filings describe the fault as an intermittent loss of the output shaft speed sensor's signal to the powertrain control module, the computer that decides the shifts.

The output shaft turns with the wheels, so its speed tells the computer how fast the car is moving at the transmission. Without it the computer can't judge a shift, which is why a P0720 so often comes with a hard or sudden downshift.

What you notice depends on the car, and the documents name four signs:

• A hard or sudden downshift.Ford's recall filings describe it on the F-150, sometimes all the way to first gear.
• A transmission stuck in one gear.30 complaints say limp mode; driving with the code covers which gear each transmission holds.
• A speedometer that jumps or drops.45 of the 158 complaints mention it.
• Harsh shifts or a lack of power.The symptoms Infiniti's Q50 bulletin lists with the code.

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Where is the output speed sensor?

Inside the transmission on the two cars that set P0720 most, and often not as a part you can buy on its own. Where it sits decides what the repair is:

• Ford F-150 and other 6R80 automatics.On the molded leadframe, the electrical frame bolted to the main control valve body inside the pan. Ford replaces the whole leadframe, part AL3Z-7G276-D.
• Infiniti Q50, 7-speed automatic.Inside the control valve, with the transmission's computer. If the diagnosis leads to the sensor, Infiniti's bulletin says to replace the control valve instead.
• Nissan Rogue CVT, 2014.A separate secondary speed sensor with its own connector, part 31935-1XF00, which Nissan's bulletin replaces after cleaning the pins.

A leadframe is the molded electrical frame inside the transmission that carries its sensors' circuits, and Ford's 2026 range sensor recall on later F-150s traces its fault to the same part. A control valve, or valve body, is the block of passages that steers fluid to each gear.

Can you drive with a P0720 code?

Gently and not far, because what the transmission does next depends on how the signal failed. On Ford's 6R80, a signal lost completely holds 5th gear if you were in 4th to 6th, or 3rd if you were in 1st to 3rd, with the wrench light on.

The dangerous case is a signal that comes and goes: Ford says it can be misread and cause an abrupt downshift to first gear, and at speed the rear tires may slide or lock up until the truck slows. Ford also wrote that nearly 98% of the reports it studied didn't end in a drop to first or wheel slip.

A restart can bring normal shifting back, according to the same filings, and Ford's recall letters say it hasn't told owners to stop driving. Infiniti's Q50 bulletin describes harsh shifting or a lack of power instead, and the Q50 manual locks the transmission in a forward gear when it goes into fail-safe.

What causes a P0720 code?

Most of the causes the documents list are the connection and the parts around the sensor, not the sensor alone. Ford lists contamination, a short to ground, connector corrosion, connector pins pressed out of shape and wrong outputs from the sensor itself as the causes behind three of its F-150 recalls.

1. Connector and wiring

Contamination, a short, corrosion or bent pins, which Ford lists first. Nissan's 2014 Rogue CVT bulletin cleans the secondary speed sensor's connector before anything else is replaced.

2. The sensor itself

Ford lists wrong outputs from the sensor among its causes, and on the Rogue the sensor is replaced after the pins are cleaned. On an F-150 or a Q50 it isn't sold on its own, as where the sensor sits explains.

3. Control valve and module

Infiniti's 2014 and 2015 Q50 bulletin replaces the control valve instead of the sensor, and Nissan's does the same for the 2010 Sentra without ABS.

4. Cracked solder

Ford traced its first recall to leadframes made in late 2011 on the supplier's soldering equipment.

5. Module grounding

Allison's 2026 bulletin for its sixth-generation 1000 to 4000 Series automatics with Hall effect sensors, after wiring, the module and the sensor were ruled out: the transmission computer's case grounding to the chassis.

Metal filings on a magnetic sensor tip and low fluid are often blamed too, but no carmaker document we read names either for P0720. Check the level anyway if the transmission slips; our guide to low transmission fluid symptoms covers how.

Is there a recall for P0720 on a Ford F-150?

Yes, several: Ford has recalled 2011 to 2014 F-150s with the 6R80 for the output speed signal, and on a 2014 F-150 the dealer replaces the leadframe free when P0720, P0722, P0731 or P1500 is stored. A recall repair stays free unless the truck was first bought more than 15 years before the recall notice, and the table lists each one:

A 2013 or 2014 Mustang falls outside every program we found, and owners who checked their VINs found the same. For a 2015 to 2017 F-150 with P0720, ask the dealer in writing whether 26N04 applies, since its listed codes are different.

P0720 on an Infiniti or Nissan

On a 2014 or 2015 Infiniti Q50 the answer is the control valve, not the sensor. Infiniti's bulletin ITB19-040 names P0720 with harsh shifting or a lack of power, and no recall or extended coverage goes with it.

Q50 owners pair it with P0500, the vehicle speed code, again and again, and report the car holding a low gear, some unable to pass 20 to 40 mph. Nissan's bulletins split by car:

• 2014 Rogue CVT.Moisture or corrosion on the secondary speed sensor's pins: clean the connector, then replace the sensor.
• 2010 Sentra.Slow acceleration, or P0720 on cars without ABS: a new CVT control valve and a reprogrammed module.

No Nissan or Infiniti safety recall in NHTSA's file names the output speed sensor. Our guide to CVT transmission problems covers the rest of Nissan's CVT record.

How much does it cost to fix P0720?

On a Ford it can cost $0: a 2014 F-150 with the codes stored gets the leadframe free under recall 24S37, and Ford's warranty time for it is 2.6 to 2.7 hours.

On a Q50, ask the dealer to price the control valve Infiniti's bulletin names, rather than a sensor. A 2015 or 2016 Mustang with the 5.2L, built by February 26, 2016, with P0720 and P0722 was a different case again: Ford's bulletin replaced the transmission, 4.5 hours under the new-vehicle warranty.

If you do pay, the parts are modest next to the labor. Here they're on the F-150, the Rogue and the Altima; the Q50's control valve isn't sold at a parts counter we could read, so its price is the dealer's:

How do you fix a P0720 code?

By reading every code and running the VIN before buying a sensor, because on the cars that set it most the sensor isn't sold alone. To fix a P0720 code, work through the 6 steps below, in order:

1. Read and save every code. P0722, P0731 or P1500 with it on a Ford, P0500 on an Infiniti; Ford's refund rules asked for a saved scan.
2. Run the VIN. Our free VIN checker shows open recalls and owner complaints, and a Ford dealer checks the programs by VIN and build date.
3. Let the dealer follow the recall's order. With the codes stored, Ford's 24S37 procedure fits the leadframe and then reprograms; without them, the software is the whole recall.
4. Check the connector and wiring. Contamination, corrosion and damaged pins are on the carmakers' own cause lists.
5. Ask which part holds the sensor. A leadframe on a 6R80, the control valve on a Q50, a separate sensor on a 2014 Rogue CVT; don't accept a sensor-only quote without the answer.
6. Expect firm shifts afterward. Ford warns of firmer shifts for several days while the transmission relearns after the reprogram.

If P0700 is stored too, it's the transmission computer asking for the light; our P0700 guide covers what that second code means.

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Common questions

Asked most often

Can low transmission fluid cause a P0720 code?

No carmaker document we read links the two. Ford, Infiniti, Nissan and Allison put P0720 down to the signal's connection, the sensor's carrier or the module, but a low level is worth checking anyway if the transmission slips.

Is there a recall for P0720 on a Ford F-150?

Yes. Recalls 16S19, 19S07 and 19S19 cover 2011 to 2013 trucks with software, and 24S37 covers the 2014 with software plus a free leadframe when P0720, P0722, P0731 or P1500 is stored.

What does P0720 with P0500 mean?

P0500 is the vehicle speed code, and the pair shows up again and again on the 2014 and 2015 Infiniti Q50. Infiniti's bulletin for that car replaces the control valve, which holds the transmission's computer, rather than the sensor.

Will P0720 clear itself?

The shifting can come back: Ford says the signal can recover while driving, or after the truck is stopped and restarted. That doesn't fix the fault behind it, which is why Ford's recalls replace the software or the leadframe.

What is P0720 on an Allison transmission?

The same output speed sensor circuit code. Allison's June 2026 bulletin reports more intermittent P0720s on its sixth-generation automatics and, once other causes are ruled out, isolates the computer's case from the chassis ground.

Prices are ranges compiled in September 2026 for the US market and vary by region, engine and shop rate. Prices from $10 up are rounded to the nearest dollar, so $14.13 reads as $14 and $14.52 as $15. Below $10 they're exact. This article is general information, not advice about your specific vehicle. See the disclaimer.