My 2010 Ford S-Max Automatic has an amber indicator message confirming the message to be ‘Transmission Limited Function’.

When this light appears the gearbox loses drive and reverse gears and the car becomes impossible to move either forward or back. When the accelerator is pressed the revs go up however there is no drivetrain power.

When switching the car off and on again the brain 🧠 in the car forgets the ‘message’ and allows you to engage into gear. Therefore moving it out of the middle of the road for example or back onto my driveway. 
 

I’m going to start with the basics in checking the gearbox fluid level and go from there.

Anyone who is willing to share their experiences and resolutions would be very much appreciated.

 

Thanks James

 

 

 

 

This will be either two faults, both relatively easy:

1: Your battery is on the way out or you have a poor earth. Check your battery performance and if it is low, replace the battery. Check all the earth points are good, especially the transmission earth on the chassis rail. Remove the earth bolt, clean the paint away from the body at the eyelet point, grease and refit.

2: You have a broken or breaking down wire from the TCM to the gearbox. The main culprit on S-Max/Galaxy is the main connector block in the LH front wheel arch, the wires at the connector are stretched and can break or corroded and can stop transmitting signals.

DON'T spend any money stripping the gearbox until you have proved out both of these issues

On 10/20/2023 at 7:41 AM, DaveT70 said:

This will be either two faults, both relatively easy:

1: Your battery is on the way out or you have a poor earth. Check your battery performance and if it is low, replace the battery. Check all the earth points are good, especially the transmission earth on the chassis rail. Remove the earth bolt, clean the paint away from the body at the eyelet point, grease and refit.

2: You have a broken or breaking down wire from the TCM to the gearbox. The main culprit on S-Max/Galaxy is the main connector block in the LH front wheel arch, the wires at the connector are stretched and can break or corroded and can stop transmitting signals.

DON'T spend any money stripping the gearbox until you have proved out both of these issues

Hi Dave. This is the best information i have seen on this issue so far, thanks. For point 2, is the connector visible inside the LH wheel arch, or do you have to remove the arch liner to get access to it? I have had a partial gearbox rebuild (£2600), with new clutches, yet still get issues so perhaps the rebuild was not needed. Many thanks.

This is a video of the typical issues with the connectors on the Galaxy and S-Max

 

Hi my c max got stuck in 2nd gear only once came up with transmission error took to garage did dyonostic told me slipping spring in clutch gearbox rebuild 

£4900 !!!! help

Check the battery voltage first, get them to fully charge the battery and reset the transmission and see if the fault goes away.

If not:

Clutch packs can disintegrate  though

Shop around for a better price

Someone may quote you £1500 for the same work but it'll cost you £500 to tow it there????

You've still saved money

Dave thank you - the car once turned of and started again clears the fault and drives ok - it’s only come up once and stuck in gear once but thought needed to get sorted - 

4 minutes ago, Mrs lake said:

Dave thank you - the car once turned of and started again clears the fault and drives ok - it’s only come up once and stuck in gear once but thought needed to get sorted - 

You say You have a broken or breaking down wire from the TCM to the gearbox. The main culprit on S-Max/Galaxy is the main connector block in the LH front wheel arch, the wires at the connector are stretched and can break or corroded and can stop transmitting signals.

how do I get this checked 

50 minutes ago, Mrs lake said:

how do I get this checked 

Watch the video posted above in this thread.

Hi,  I need some advise about my Ford SMAX (63 plate) 2.0 TDCi Titanium Automatic Diesel Powershift which is not going into drive.

Background:
Some weeks back I travelled on the Motorway to London (from Midlands) and when I got to my destination and was parking up the 
the message "Transmission limited function" came on the dashboard and car would not go forward or reverse, so I stopped and started the engine a few times and managed to get the car moving.

The next day when driving locally it broke down and the message "Transmission limited function" came on and the Engine Management Light came on (car was in limp mode), so I had to stop and start again to get safely to family member's house.

I called the RAC and the engineer connected my car to the diagnostic machine and told me:

On inspection of vehicle no lights on dash run rac scan found fault with signal from abs suit. 
advise member requires further investigation into sensors unit ect on ramp delete codes and advise member to drive to place of repair.

Disgnostic Codes
RAC DIAGNOSTIC SYSTEM
System type:   ENGINE SYSTEM TEST/VALUES
Name:              QXQA - DURATORQ - TDCI
DTC:                 U0415, Invalid data received from ABS control module

I got the car towed to my local garage (not a gearbox specialist) and he connected the diagnostic machine and the Code Scan results are:
P0700-00        Transmission Control System (Mil Request)
                             Transmission
P2849-00        Shift Fork A Stuck
P284B-00        Shift Fork C Stuck
                             Audio Control Module

1) The mechanic told me I need a new gearbox so advised me to sell the car "as is", but this is not easy to do as the car is faulty.

2) Looking for a second hand gearbox on eBay and having that fitted is the cheapest option but this is risky as the new gearbox could also be faulty (as Ford powershift gearboxes problems are common) 
OR the gear box might not be compatible .

3) A rebuild of the gearbox will cost me thousands

4) Maybe the fault is NOT gearbox related ?

The "Transmission limited function" message is still on and the Engine Management Light is on and I cannot drive the car

What do I do - can anyone offer me some good advise as I don't know what to do ?

Thanks

On 10/20/2023 at 7:41 AM, DaveT70 said:

This will be either two faults, both relatively easy:

1: Your battery is on the way out or you have a poor earth. Check your battery performance and if it is low, replace the battery. Check all the earth points are good, especially the transmission earth on the chassis rail. Remove the earth bolt, clean the paint away from the body at the eyelet point, grease and refit.

2: You have a broken or breaking down wire from the TCM to the gearbox. The main culprit on S-Max/Galaxy is the main connector block in the LH front wheel arch, the wires at the connector are stretched and can break or corroded and can stop transmitting signals.

DON'T spend any money stripping the gearbox until you have proved out both of these issues

If the above doesn't solve your issue, it could be any wire though, check all of them, then start stripping or replacing the transmission

As mentioned in several other powershift topics, the chances are very slim that this has to do with bad wiring or grounding. Inside the gearbox there is a bell housing, which holds the clutch plates and on top of that is a torque convertor type thing installed with springs, and plastic retainer clips, which are totally not built for purpose. Those plastic retainers will at some point disintegrate and fall into the gears, getting chewed up and will contaminate the mechatronic and the valvebody. 

If you are mechanically inclined and have room to work on your car, you could remove the transmission, remove the mechatronic and valvebody as well as the clutch housing and very very thoroughly clean the units, replace the internal oil filter as well as the retainer clips. Guys I am working with are trying to source the clips from either very durable steel, or 3D printed high quality plastic but we are not there yet. Do not buy a used other powershift gearbox, unless it's a fully revised one, you'll end up with the same misery. Next to that the TCM is bound to the car, so would need to be either reprogrammed or transferred from the old gearbox to the new one, in any case, it's not a solution. 

 

Yes, but that issue causes drive issues, not selection issues as it's a separate part of the transmission.

So, yes, you are right that this can be an issue, but it's wise to check you are not getting signal/power issues FIRST before you start taking it apart.

Well, this very issue caused selection issues for me as well, also TariqM stated he lost drive completely? Shift forks getting stuck is also to do with the valves not being able to work as the solenoids don't work properly due to all that muck in the valvebody and mech. 

17 hours ago, Fendy_NL said:

Shift forks getting stuck is also to do with the valves not being able to work as the solenoids don't work properly due to all that muck in the valvebody and mech. 

Absolutely correct, but the valves not working can be due to the signals not getting to the valves to work, or even the battery being flat/poor.

So, as I said, you are absolutely correct, but BEFORE you start throwing parts at a Powershift or even replacing the unit (under wrongful advice) make sure the signals are getting from the PCM to the TCM and from the TCM to the transmission unit AND that the vehicle has full electrical power

As a newbie to this forum I agree with @DaveT70 regarding the need to carry out as much testing/diagnosis/fault codes/live data/battery charging/the basics/load testing of wiring before taking ANY expensive action.
As posted in the S-Max section, this video takes you through a fault in the connector under the front passenger side wheel arch regarding wiring connection issues:

Also, I'd check the gearbox filter and take a sample of the oil to see if there's any evidence of the dreaded "plastics" breaking up (again before doing anything expensive!)
Techs who can do proper diagnosis are a rare breed but need to be found (amazingly, it's the same guy (Skoda Yoda) as the video above!!!
Why let anyone spend thousands before having as clear an idea as possible of the fault whilst spending as little as possible?

I agree completely naturally regarding ruling out any possible other option before having to dismantle a whole transmission. Having said that, I do believe the gearbox in that video to be a DCT451 instead of a 450, simply because the 450 was discontinued as soon as the new model Galaxy/S-maxes came out. Nonetheless the argument remains the same and I completely agree

Hiya, in response to all the above, I have a 2.0L TDCi Mondeo 150 with the powershift auto box.

I only get the "Transmission Limited Function" warning when the box shifts into 6th at which point even number gears and reverse are unavailable.

A turn off of ignition and restart,reset the system but it happens again after shifting to 6th.

 

Could this be a wiring/electrical/battery issue as stated above or fluid/oil problem?

 

Want to rule out the easier options before risking taking it to a garage and possibly forking out 1000s.

@Ajay Just Continuing the theme of doing everything external before dismantling the transmission....
I'd definitely get Forscan with a lead or the dongle/mobile option to look at transmission specific codes (standard code readers very unlikely to pick them up) and see if anything is there when the fault is present.
If it resets when ignition turned off then on then the codes may disappear and you'll not find them.

I don't know if a wiring fault could cause that BUT as the cost of a transmission repair is so high, everything other than that needs looking at:
The codes and any live data PIDs, is it different when in manual mode, oil level, oil and filter (tear filter apart to check for contamination), cable adjustment, wiring at gearbox plug, wiring loom for damage, connections to PCM under the passenger wing. AND, of course, the battery!
What is the service record (are you due an oil and filter change this year?) Or could just look at the filter then top up the oil CORRECTLY.
Kit suggested:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/112436788478

The £90 for the oil change is not much in comparison to the thousands for a specialist repair.

4 hours ago, Shearers said:

@Ajay Just Continuing the theme of doing everything external before dismantling the transmission....
I'd definitely get Forscan with a lead or the dongle/mobile option to look at transmission specific codes (standard code readers very unlikely to pick them up) and see if anything is there when the fault is present.
If it resets when ignition turned off then on then the codes may disappear and you'll not find them.

I don't know if a wiring fault could cause that BUT as the cost of a transmission repair is so high, everything other than that needs looking at:
The codes and any live data PIDs, is it different when in manual mode, oil level, oil and filter (tear filter apart to check for contamination), cable adjustment, wiring at gearbox plug, wiring loom for damage, connections to PCM under the passenger wing. AND, of course, the battery!
What is the service record (are you due an oil and filter change this year?) Or could just look at the filter then top up the oil CORRECTLY.
Kit suggested:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/112436788478

The £90 for the oil change is not much in comparison to the thousands for a specialist repair.

It's just recently had service done at Arnold Clark (engine oil and filter change) they didn't do the gearbox oil, but the £90 quid set looks doable and videos I've watched on YT about oil changes look reasonably straightforward 

With yours being a later powershi*t I would check the following items in the following order:

1: Battery performance - Powershi*ts hate low voltage, they have no L.O.S (Limited Operation Strategy) If you don't know when the battery was changed, change it

2: Earthing performance, check and clean all the engine bay earthing points

3/4: Fluid performance - If you don't know when the fluid was changed last, change it. Should be 3ys 36,000 miles. As @Shearers says, check filter for contaminants.

3/4: Have the cables from the trans to the TCM and the TCM to the PCM checked for correct continuity by a decent auto electrician, a damaged/broken wire will cause all sorts of issues, see number 1

5: Clean and test the solenoids

6: Only now start tearing the box apart for internal issues

@DaveT70 Presume the fault codes are also on the list perhaps at every stage above to see if anything changes (to avoid internal work but maybe signpost it later?)

Does anyone have a recommendation for an OBD scanner/dongle to use with forscan. OBD changes are all new to me. 

@unofix always says:

FORScan (for use with Windows Laptop) : https://forscan.org/download.html

It's what many Ford owners use including some Ford technicians.

• vLinker FS, cable for laptop: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Vgate-vLinker-Adapter-FORScan-MS-CAN/dp/B0952P4MLP

OR

• OBDLINK EX, cable for laptop: https://www.amazon.co.uk/OBDLINK-EX-FORScan-OBD-Adapter/dp/B081VQVD3F/ref=sr_1_5

For diagnostic use only:

• vLinker FD, for android phone: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Vgate-Bluetooth-vLinker-Scanner-Diagnostic/dp/B08H82WC8L
• vLinker FD+, for iPhone: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Vgate-Bluetooth-vLinker-Scanner-Diagnostic/dp/B08H8JHWP2

 

Laptop can program (with licence) mobile can read codes but not program.

On 7/14/2025 at 1:18 PM, DaveT70 said:

With yours being a later powershi*t I would check the following items in the following order:

1: Battery performance - Powershi*ts hate low voltage, they have no L.O.S (Limited Operation Strategy) If you don't know when the battery was changed, change it

2: Earthing performance, check and clean all the engine bay earthing points

3/4: Fluid performance - If you don't know when the fluid was changed last, change it. Should be 3ys 36,000 miles. As @Shearers says, check filter for contaminants.

3/4: Have the cables from the trans to the TCM and the TCM to the PCM checked for correct continuity by a decent auto electrician, a damaged/broken wire will cause all sorts of issues, see number 1

5: Clean and test the solenoids

6: Only now start tearing the box apart for internal issues

Battery tested with multi-meter after being parked all day at work - 12.46v