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Diagnostic trouble code

P0871

3 owner reports and 20 manufacturer filings across 14 model years from Chevrolet, Ram, Subaru.

PowertrainGeneric OBD-II code20 manufacturer filings3 owner reports

Where P0871 shows up

Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications and complaints
Model yearFiled underBulletinsOwner reports
2017 Chevrolet SparkPower Train3
2016 Chevrolet SparkPower Train3
2022 Subaru OutbackEquipment21
2019 Chevrolet SparkPower Train2
2018 Chevrolet SparkPower Train2
2019 Ram 3500Power Train11
2022 Ram 2500Power Train1
2021 Ram 2500Power Train1
2020 Ram 2500Service Brakes1
2019 Ram 2500Exterior Lighting1
2022 Ram 3500Power Train1
2021 Ram 3500Power Train1
2020 Ram 3500Power Train1
2018 Ram 3500Power Train1

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.

What it gets filed under

Power Train 16Equipment 2Equipment Adaptive/Mobility 2Service Brakes 1Exterior Lighting 1Electrical System 1
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What owners said

Source: NHTSA complaint database

Owners’ 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.

The battery was fine, charging, but the car threw a Code: P0871 Transmission Fluid Pressure Sensor Switch
2022 Subaru OutbackJun 5, 2026NHTSA owner report
While entering the interstate highway and accelerating to merge into traffic the transmission would not shift properly and check engine light came with code p0871
2019 Ram 3500Feb 24, 2026NHTSA owner report

Manufacturer filings that name it

Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications

Service bulletins and campaigns whose filed summary names P0871. Quoting the document number at a service desk is often the fastest route to a diagnosis someone has already written down.

What P0871 means

Source: SAE J2012 / OBD-II

P0871 sits in the generic range of the OBD-II standard, so it means the same thing on every vehicle sold in the United States — but WhichTrim does not carry a definition for it and will not invent one. What is on this page is the record: who named it and on what.

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 P0871

Source: NHTSA files and the OBD-II standard

Can I keep driving with P0871 stored?

Nobody can answer that from the code alone, and a site that does is guessing. A steady light generally means the fault was logged and the vehicle is in a reduced-risk mode; a flashing light means stop soon, because a misfiring engine can destroy a catalytic converter in minutes. 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.