Symptom explainer · every vehicle on the site
"Service Transmission" message or wrench light comes on
Most reported: 2014 Jeep Cherokee with 273 reports. Across the 110 model years on this site with at least five, owners filed 2,366.
- 2,366owner reports
- 110model years affected
- 60,000median miles
- 23involved a crash
- 2involved a fire
This sheet is for a "Service Transmission" message, a transmission fault warning or a wrench light. Owners say it often shows up with lost power, a stall or a car that won't accelerate, and sometimes clears on the next start.
Which cars report it most · By model · When it happens · What it is and what to do
The 25 vehicles with the most reports
Each row is one model year. The bar is its count of transmission warning light reports; the share is how much of that car's complaint file this problem takes up. Bigger sellers draw more reports, so read the share alongside the count. Red dots mark crashes and fires in these reports; amber marks a recall on the same system.
- 12014 Jeep Cherokee2 crashes1 firerecall27311% of its complaints42k mi
- 22015 Jeep Cherokee2 crashesrecall1388% of its complaints34k mi
- 32015 Chrysler 2002 crashesrecall1025% of its complaints45k mi
- 42016 Ford F-150recall945% of its complaints82k mi
- 52016 Jeep Cherokee1 crashrecall906% of its complaints43k mi
- 6864% of its complaints75k mi
- 72015 Ford F-1504 crashesrecall684% of its complaints75k mi
- 82016 Ford Escaperecall656% of its complaints89k mi
- 92018 Ford F-150recall653% of its complaints83k mi
- 102014 Ford Escaperecall593% of its complaints96k mi
- 112014 Ford F-1501 crashrecall584% of its complaints88k mi
- 122016 Ford Focusrecall555% of its complaints93k mi
- 132017 Ford Fusionrecall545% of its complaints86k mi
- 142016 Ford Explorerrecall482% of its complaints8k mi
- 152017 Ford F-150recall453% of its complaints93k mi
- 162017 Ford Escaperecall442% of its complaints88k mi
- 172015 Ford Escaperecall394% of its complaints93k mi
- 182014 Fiat 500L1 crash1 firerecall3422% of its complaints67k mi
- 19343% of its complaints69k mi
- 20303% of its complaints25k mi
- 212015 Ford Focusrecall283% of its complaints80k mi
- 222020 Ford Explorerrecall282% of its complaints56k mi
- 232413% of its complaints98k mi
- 242016 Ford Fusion2 crashesrecall241% of its complaints38k mi
- 252018 Ford Focusrecall223% of its complaints61k mi
Where it dominates the complaint file
Model years with at least 25 reports, ranked by the share of all their complaints that describe transmission warning light. That takes most of the sales-volume effect out (small sellers still swing more).
- 12014 Fiat 500L1 crash1 firerecall3422% of its complaints67k mi
- 22014 Jeep Cherokee2 crashes1 firerecall27311% of its complaints42k mi
- 32015 Jeep Cherokee2 crashesrecall1388% of its complaints34k mi
- 42016 Jeep Cherokee1 crashrecall906% of its complaints43k mi
- 52016 Ford Escaperecall656% of its complaints89k mi
- 62015 Chrysler 2002 crashesrecall1025% of its complaints45k mi
- 72017 Ford Fusionrecall545% of its complaints86k mi
- 82016 Ford Focusrecall555% of its complaints93k mi
- 92016 Ford F-150recall945% of its complaints82k mi
- 102015 Ford F-1504 crashesrecall684% of its complaints75k mi
By model, every year together
The 12 models with the most reports. Each chip is a model year; the darker chip is its worst year.
- Ford F-150377
- Ford Escape246
- Ford Focus211
- Ford Fusion119
- Chrysler 200111
When it happens
1,640 of the 2,366 reports state a mileage. The middle half fall between 28,000 and 90,000 miles; the median is 60,000. Each column is a 20,000-mile band.
Reports by model year
Every report of transmission warning light, grouped by the model year of the car. 23 involved a crash and 2 a fire. 19 people were hurt.
What owners describe
Share of the 2,366 reports that use each phrase. One report can use several.
What got replaced
Reports that name the part, across every vehicle.
What it is and what to do
About 2,400 complaints on this site describe it, with a median mileage of about 60,000. The 2014 and 2015 Jeep Cherokee and the 2015 Chrysler 200 have the most reports, and Ford F-150, Focus and Escape model years fill much of the rest. About half use the words "service transmission" or similar, and more than one in four names the wrench light. About one in five says the car stalled, and a slightly smaller share says it wouldn't accelerate afterward. About one in eleven say the light went away after a restart. About one in six was told the dealer found a software or module problem.
Gearbox Insider describes a lit transmission warning as the powertrain control module reporting a fault it detected. Which one the shop finds depends on the scan. It says technicians read the stored codes, looking for the P07xx range that points to solenoids or valves, then check the cooler, lines and fluid level. Firestone lists a lit check engine light among the signs of transmission trouble, because the light watches sensors and modules and can catch a fault before you feel it. It also says a transmission temperature light means the fluid is too hot and calls for stopping and letting the car cool.
The color rule Firestone gives for any dash light applies: amber means attention soon, red means stop and assess.
Recalls tie into this light. Recall 16V-529 covers 2014 and 2015 Jeep Cherokees and 2015 Chrysler 200s whose 9-speed sensor wiring may let the transmission shift to neutral. Ford's 24V-444 and 26V-237 cover F-150 downshifts caused by a lost transmission sensor signal. Neither summary says a warning light is part of the defect, so check your VIN rather than assuming.
Note whether the car dropped into limp mode, stuck in one gear, stalled or smelled hot, since Gearbox Insider says to stop driving in limp mode. Give the shop the exact icon or wording, the moment it appeared, and any code you've had read. Report it during the warranty; the FTC says a defect reported then must be fixed even if the warranty ends before the repair.
Sources
- Transmission warning light: what it means and what to do first, Gearbox Insider
- 8 signs of a bad transmission, Firestone Complete Auto Care
- Types of car warning lights and what you should never ignore, Firestone Complete Auto Care
- NHTSA recalls 16V-529, 24V-444 and 26V-237 (NHTSA recall files)
- Check for recalls, NHTSA
- Warranties, FTC Consumer Advice
- Complaint counts, mileages and phrase shares: NHTSA complaint files as tallied on this site
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints on the 1,043 vehicle model years that have a page here, grouped by the word patterns described on the method page. A vehicle needs five matching reports to be counted in this ranking. Checked Sep 29, 2026. All problem explainers.