P1783 on Ford

Transmission fluid over-temperature condition on Ford and Mazda automatics

Severity not verified — if the car runs badly, have it inspected

The code reports overheated transmission fluid, and owners report burnt fluid and rebuilt transmissions, but we found no source that sets a safe driving limit.

It gets more serious if:

  • Inspect soon: The O/D OFF light blinks, the fluid smells burnt, or the transmission slips or shifts harshly.

Source: how we rate severity

This page covers only what differs on Ford. For what P1783 means, the ranked causes and the test order, see the P1783 guide.

What's different on Ford

Ford

  • 2001–2005 · Escape

    Supported by vehicle data

    Escape bulletin 04141 covers P1783 and P0733 with cold-climate concerns on the CD4E transaxle.

  • 2004–2005 · Explorer

    Supported by vehicle data

    Explorer bulletin 0527 pairs a converter housing leak with P1783 on early-build 5R55S units.

  • 2002–2020 · Explorer

    Supported by vehicle data

    Explorer owners report burnt or black fluid after P1783 on 2002 and 2020 models.

  • 04141Status unverified

    Transmission indicator lamp with P1783 and/or P0733, cold-climate shift concerns (CD4E)

    2001–2005escape · NHTSA 10009323

    Same cold-climate concern on the CD4E transaxle.

    We couldn't confirm whether this bulletin is still current, so it doesn't count as confirmation.

  • 0527Status unverified

    5R55S converter housing fluid leak and P1783 on vehicles built before 12/12/2004

    2004–2005explorer · NHTSA 10012938

    Pairs a converter housing leak with P1783 on early-build 5R55S Explorers.

    We couldn't confirm whether this bulletin is still current, so it doesn't count as confirmation.

Sources and review

  1. Ford bulletin 04141: transmission indicator lamp with P1783 and/or P0733, cold-climate shift concerns, CD4E — Ford Motor Company (via NHTSA flat-file summary)
  2. Ford bulletin 0527: 5R55S fluid leak at the converter housing area, P1783 on vehicles built before 12/12/2004 — Ford Motor Company (via NHTSA flat-file summary)
  3. NHTSA complaint 577703: 2002 Ford Explorer, P1783 — NHTSA (owner complaint)
  4. NHTSA complaint 2112327: 2020 Ford Explorer, P1783 — NHTSA (owner complaint)
  5. NHTSA complaint 636798: 2002 Mazda 626, P1783 — NHTSA (owner complaint)
Last reviewed
Written by
Saurabh K.
Editorial review
Pending
Technician review
Technician review pending

This page explains what a code usually means; it is not a substitute for a professional inspection. How we source and review · Report an error

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