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Q: Ford Fiesta in Limp Mode after car battery died and was "jumped."

asked by on November 16, 2016

I stupidly but accidentally drained my car battery and had it die on me. Luckily a Good Samaritan had jumper cables and helped me tackle that issue. Upon restarting the car, the display flashed a "transmission malfunction: service soon" error. It was then that I realized the car was in limp mode. Won't go above 60mph, or shift higher than 4 gear... I was able to drive the car home as it's late and I could not get it to a service station just yet. any ideas on why this occurred and what I can do to fix it in the meantime? Any help at all is more appreciated than you know...
My car has an automatic transmission.

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Hi there:

There are a few general steps for resetting the ECM to disengage the limp mode activation, as long as you’re 100% sure there are no transmission issues.

  • Bring your car to a complete stop.
  • Shift your automatic transmission into PARK.
  • Turn the ignition switch to OFF.
  • Wait 10 seconds.
  • Turn your vehicle back on.
  • Select the gear of your choice.

If your vehicle will shift into the gear you chose, then you can continue to drive your vehicle as normal. If this process does not work on your Ford Fiesta, you’ll have to contact a mobile mechanic to have them complete a check engine light inspection and reset this issue for you.

Ford
2013
Fiesta
L4-1.6L
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