P0742 The torque converter clutch is staying locked when it should release
1 owner report and 5 manufacturer filings across 3 model years from Nissan.
Where P0742 shows up
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications and complaints| Model year | Filed under | Bulletins | Owner reports | Parts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 Nissan Altima | Power Train | 3 | — | |
| 2020 Nissan Murano | Power Train | 2 | — | |
| 2022 Nissan Pathfinder | Power Train | — | 1 |
A model year appears here because the code is named in its record, not because every one of these vehicles sets it. Counts are mentions in the federal files, not failure rates — nobody publishes the denominator.
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What it gets filed under
What owners said
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners’ own words, one per nameplate, scrubbed of anything identifying. These are unverified reports filed with NHTSA — they are what was said, not a finding that it was true.
My husband has a code reader and he plugged into it and it showed a code of P0742, which is ("torque converter clutch circuit stuck on")
5 manufacturer filings name P0742. Start with what the maker wrote down.
A code names the test that failed, not the part. A bulletin that names it is often a diagnosis someone has already written down — quote its number at the service desk.
Manufacturer filings that name it
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communicationsService bulletins and campaigns whose filed summary names P0742.
- NTB19-116B Service bulletin2021-11-30 · Power Train
- MIL ON WITH DTC P0742 STORED IN THE TCM This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
- NTB19-116a Service bulletin2020-06-17 · Power Train — Automatic Transmission — Control Module (Tcm/Pcm/Tecm)
- MIL ON WITH DTC P0742 This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
- NTB19-116 Service bulletin2019-12-12 · Power Train
- 2020 ALTIMA; MIL ON WITH DTC P0742 IF YOU CONFIRM The MIL is ON and only DTC P0742 (TORQUE CONVERTER) is stored in the TCM. OR The MIL is ON and only DTC P0742 (TORQUE CONVERTER) and DTC P187E (T/M SYSTEM MALFUNCTION) are stored in the TCM. NOTE: ï· - If any DTCs other than P0742 or P187E are stored in the TCM, this bulletin does not apply. Refer to the ESM for diagnostic information. ï
What P0742 means
Source: SAE J2012 / OBD-IIThe torque converter clutch is staying locked when it should release.
A stored code names the test that failed, never the part that caused it. It is the starting point of a diagnosis, not its conclusion — the same code has several possible causes and the cheap one is not always right.
Common questions about P0742
Source: NHTSA files and the OBD-II standardCan I keep driving with P0742 stored?
Nobody can answer that from the code alone, and a site that does is guessing. A steady light means a fault was logged and the car should be checked soon; a flashing light means a severe misfire — slow down and get it seen as soon as possible, because severe misfire can quickly damage the catalytic converter. The safe read of this page is the mileage and the components, not permission.
Does a code mean the car is recalled?
No. Recalls are filed by campaign and matched by VIN, and none of them are triggered by a scan tool. If you want to know whether an open recall applies to one specific vehicle, check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls — that is the only source that settles it.
Why do the counts here differ from other sites?
Because these are not estimates. Every number on this page is a count of documents in NHTSA's own files: manufacturer communications that name the code in their filed summary, and owner complaints that name it in the narrative. We do not model, weight or extrapolate them.
Will clearing the code fix it?
Clearing turns the light off and erases the freeze-frame data a technician would have used to work out what happened. If the condition is still there the code returns, usually within a few drive cycles, and the diagnosis now starts from less information than before.