P0715 Input/Turbine Shaft Speed Sensor A Circuit

Investigate soon

The ECU has logged a fault on P0715. The definition below is the exact wording the standard uses for this code.

Can you drive it? The engine light will stay on and the car may run in a reduced-power mode. Read the freeze-frame data to see the conditions the fault was logged under.

The definition

P0715: Input/Turbine Shaft Speed Sensor A Circuit.

P0715 is a powertrain code (the engine or gearbox), defined by the SAE standard - it means the same thing on any make of car, and any generic OBD-II reader will decode it.

What to check first

Cheapest and fastest checks first:

Read the freeze-frame data stored with the fault - engine speed, load and temperature at the moment it logged tell you whether this happens cold, hot or under load.
Check the connector at the part for corrosion, and that it is fully seated.
Clear the code and see whether it returns, and under what conditions.

What actually causes this on a VAG

Your gearbox has a sensor that tells its own control unit how fast the input shaft - the shaft coming out of the torque converter - is turning. Without a believable signal from it the controller has no idea what the box is actually doing, so it normally drops into limp home: one fixed gear, harsh or absent shifts, no torque converter lock-up. On most VAG automatics and DSGs this sensor isn't bolted to the outside where you can reach it - it sits on the valve body or inside the mechatronic unit. The word 'circuit' matters: the controller is complaining about an electrical problem, not about worn gears.

Most likely causes, in order

Wiring or the gearbox connector. The multi-pin plug where the loom enters the gearbox is a known trouble spot on these cars - it sits somewhere hot and vibrating, and gearbox oil can creep up inside the wires and end up in the connector body. Unplug it and look for fluid, green corrosion or spread pins, then wiggle the loom while someone watches the input speed value in live data.
The speed sensor itself. On many VAG boxes it's mounted on the valve body or built into the mechatronic unit, so reaching it means dropping the sump or pulling the valve body. Confirm it on a gentle road test: with the torque converter locked, input speed and engine rpm should track each other closely, and a reading that sits at zero or jumps about is the giveaway.
Metal debris on the sensor tip. These sensors read a toothed wheel magnetically, so swarf from a wearing gearbox sticks to the tip and corrupts the signal. If the sump magnets are furry and the fluid is dark and smells burnt, the sensor fault is a symptom of a tired gearbox rather than the cause of your problem.
Control unit or mechatronic fault. Least likely and by far the most expensive, so it should only be considered once the connector, the loom and the sensor have genuinely been checked. Anyone who reaches this conclusion without having had the gearbox plug off first hasn't done the diagnosis.

Worth knowing: Have the gearbox control unit's own fault memory read, not just the engine's - a cheap generic reader often only shows engine codes, so you'll miss the supporting codes that say which sensor and under what conditions. And don't accept a quote for a gearbox until someone has physically unplugged that connector and looked inside it for fluid.

Reading the code is the easy part

A code names the circuit that complained. What tells you why is watching the sensor behind it while the engine runs — and that is where a code reader stops and a diagnostic tool starts.

VAGPULSE reads every module in a VW, Audi, Skoda or SEAT — not just the engine — shows the live measuring blocks behind this fault, gives you the freeze-frame conditions it was logged under, and clears it once you have fixed it. It also does what a generic OBD reader cannot on a VAG: service resets, coding, adaptations, and Stage 1–3 flashing with your original file saved first.

$249 once. No subscription, unlimited cars. Windows 10/11.

See VAGPULSE — $249 Look up another code

Software downloads instantly · cable ships September 30 · cable guarantee — refund if it won't connect

Prefer to work on your phone? The VAGPULSE Android app is a free download and its demo mode runs against a sample car with no hardware at all, so you can see exactly what it reads before spending anything. Reading your car with it needs the VAGPULSE cable, which comes with the licence.

Common questions

What does P0715 mean?

P0715 means Input/Turbine Shaft Speed Sensor A Circuit. It is logged when the ECU sees this circuit outside its expected operating window.

Can I drive with P0715?

The engine light will stay on and the car may run in a reduced-power mode. Read the freeze-frame data to see the conditions the fault was logged under.