2009 Mazda5 error code U0101 transmission

[cghms3]

Hi - I'm in a bind. My wife has a 2009 Mazda 5 (purchased new) with 97,247 miles. After driving a few miles, the check engine light and Automatic Transmission warning light came on. The car went into limp mode, but she was able to get it to a gas station. Error code "U0101 Transmission module lost the connection"
A few weeks prior, she took it to a quick oil change station, and they tried to sell her a transmission flush, which she declined. Could they have accidently damaged any hardware/wiring/harness/connector during the inspection?

1) She did purchase a 100,000mile extended warranty through the Mazda dealer. Opinions on "will this be covered?"
2) I don't like to bring it up, but I have a rare form of cancer, and I can't even do minor work on cars, and I am broke, due to all the medical bills.
Has anyone else experienced this, and what was the solution?
Thank you in advance.

 

[rsvinylgraphics]

There might be a "TCM" fuse, possibly located in the engine compartment fuse box. I would check that first...

 

[cghms3]

Thanks for the advice - I'll check it tomorrow (I hope your right!)

 

[loosenut]

Most likely you have failed TCM. It is a fairly common failure on the the 3's and 5's wthe the 5spd trans. Mine just failed a month ago. Intermittent limp mode with AT and Engine light. Same code you're experiencing. New module fixed the vehicle. Approximately $800 thru the dealer. If you have a decent aftermarket warranty it will likely cover it.

 

[Silentnoise713]

I do not have this problem but since it is a communication issue, it is likely TCM failure (or connection/wire). Google Mazda 3 U0101 will get better results.

FWIW, I believe 100K powertrain warranty "should" cover this. Best to call the dealer/Mazda corporate stat before you hit the magic number!

@ loosenut - do you know what they replace and/or procedure they ran through $800? Did you consider just taking out the dead unit, find the except part number, get a used one that is the exact match, and plug it in? Yes, not always avail and no guarantee it will be reliable but wouldn’t it be the cost effective option?

 

[loosenut]

I just priced it out at the dealer. That was the cost of the part alone. I put a used one from a 2009 Mazda 5 that I found locally in mine. It's plug and play, no programming required. I will have it checked for any available new software soon.

 

[cghms3]

Thank you for the confirmation - my wife bought the extended warranty through Mazda when we purchased the car. I hope Mazda honors it. I did all the research possible, and I hope the service dept. won't give us any issues.

 

[cghms3]

The dealer also got the same code : U0101 - lost communication between engine/transmission - They will replace it under her extended warranty, and they were nice enough to give us a free loaner! We got lucky.
Thanks for all the good information!