Resetting something in your car can feel like performing some sort of old superstitious ritual.
Pressing the gas pedal three times to turn a light off, it’s a bit like pouring salt around your bed. The Ford Fiesta transmission reset procedure is no exception.
How do you reset the Ford Fiesta’s transmission?
Turn the car on, but don’t start the engine. Put the transmission in neutral. Turn the car off, and then shift into park. Turn the car back on again, this time starting the car’s engine. Failing that, just disconnect and reconnect the battery.
You can think of it like punching in a command to get your laptop to restart. Your car doesn’t have a keyboard, but it does have an onboard computer. We’ll get into the specifics of how your transmission is reset and go step by step below.
What is a Transmission Control Module?
You’re not actually resetting the transmission itself when you use this fix, you’re resetting the transmission control module, or TCM. This is a computer control module that works in cooperation with your engine control module, or ECM.
The TCM is sort of like an on-board engineer. It takes in data from your transmission, brakes, shifter, and other components and uses that information to manage your gear shifts in real time. Like Scotty on Star Trek, but a computer in your car.
After you have a tune-up or get your transmission fluid changed, your TCM needs to re-learn what it’s dealing with, and that’s where the reset comes in.
Resetting Your TCM
Every vehicle has its own method for resetting the TCM. However, you would reset your TCM in your old Chevy or Jeep, that’s not going to work with a Ford. Here’s how you reset a Fiesta TCM step by step.
- Turn the car on without starting the engine
- Shift the transmission into neutral
- Turn the car off
- Shift the car into park
- Turn the car back on
- Start the engine up
That will usually get your TCM to reset to factory conditions for a fresh start. But with different trim levels and different model years, you never know if your vehicle is the “weird” one. So, check your owner’s manual if this doesn’t work.
As a last resort, you can perform a hard reset by disconnecting and reconnecting the battery. This works on almost every vehicle ever made, but it resets your Bluetooth connection, your radio settings, everything. Still, if nothing else works:
- Disconnect the negative cable first, then the positive cable. Always in this order when disconnecting.
- Turn the car on and press the horn or run the headlights to drain any leftover energy lingering in your vehicle.
- Reconnect the cables. This time positive first, then negative.
- Again, this method is a last resort. It works, but you’ll want to try the previous method first.
Easy Fixes
When shopping for a vehicle, don’t neglect the importance of a car or truck being easy to fix. Even if it costs a little more, you could save thousands at the repair shop if it’s easy to fix it yourself. Check the Vehicle History and know what you’re buying.
