# Automatic Transmission Fail safe mode???



## TheCROW163 (Mar 1, 2007)

Hi guys, I know that this happens when you put a lot of stress on your transmission with lots of wheel spining and rough driving. The gear locks in 3rd and the O/D Off button blinks for 8 seconds.
This happened to me yesterday, but the weird thing is that I was driving VERY slowly, here's what hapenned:
The truck was parked for a couple of days, I started it but did not look at the dash, once it was warm I exited the parking and I imediately noticed that the acceleration was slower than usual (Acceleating in 3rd).... I drove for a couple of minutes then stopped, I turned off the engine and restarted it, I then noticed the O/D OFF button blinking on the dash for a little while, once it turned off I turned off the engine and waited for a couple of minutes.... Then I started the engine and everything was normal again. I drove for a while and then stopped and restarted for 3 times and waited but everything was normal again. No O/D light and normal acceleration.
Do you know why this happened? The truck was parked and driven very slowly.
Truck is 98 Pathy Automatic
Transmission oil is new.


----------



## TheCROW163 (Mar 1, 2007)

I read somewhere that if your battery is low and you have a slow crank when starting, your transmission can go into a "fail safe" mode and will not start out in 1st gear.
I think I noticed a VERY LITTLE hesitation in the crank when I first started the ignition but it was barely noticeable.... Also it's worth to mention that I don't drive the truck very often, like twice a week and for short trips...Also the battery hasn't been changed since a couple of years, maybe more....
Any ideas?


----------



## TheCROW163 (Mar 1, 2007)

Feel like I'm talking to myself in this forum...


----------



## lelehaine (Dec 19, 2009)

Hi, i have the same problem. How did you solve it?


----------



## Wilbar (Aug 19, 2009)

Hi ive got a Nissan Pathfinder 1992 that the A/T has been acting up on me also lately.....mine would go into fail-safe when its been cold-started--(overnight left) and seem after left engine warm all the way up it would go out of fail-safe or oddly if i left it parked on a upward slant at work for a while it would snap out of it so lately ive left it parked on a slant hill during the night and it hasn't gone back into fail-safe yet---ive had my A/T fluid changed month ago but not the transfer case and it still looks bright pink....someone told me that it might be the shift solenoid---bad connection or needing replaced----if someone else could shed some light on this.....i know Nissan Pathfinder had issues with A/T and i do have external cooler on my transmission


----------



## TheCROW163 (Mar 1, 2007)

Well it hasn't occurred ever since, but I think in your case it might be the solenoid... better wait for the elder forum experts to confirm.
I hope it works out ok.


----------



## Wilbar (Aug 19, 2009)

My issue has came back so i finally decided to give Seafoam Transmission Tune-up a try before taking it in for work and so far it seem to cure the problem...It seem to shift a lot smooth after adding Seafoam A/T.
Also there was a thread that never got answered about E-AT light flicker code which what i get when it doesn't want shift....I have the E-AT switch for Economy Mode or Power and it flickers for 16 sec when i first start it up so if anybody knows what the error code meant that would help me out to why it doesn't want to shift....light only flickers 16 sec if doesn't want to shift right and shut vehicle off


----------

