So basically, when I start the ATV, the gear selection display blinks all three options (D1/D2/ESP) and continues to do so no matter what gear you select. Also where it typically indicates what gear your in ie 1, 2, 3, D, etc is not showing anything. I also noticed that the ATV sputters in reverse and tries to go dead, but works fine in forward, however once I hit about 14 mph going forward it’s revved out and doesn’t shift and won’t go much faster no matter if I’m d1, d2, or esp. I don’t notice any kind of pause in the flashes. It’s just continuous flashing. No pausing, no stopping, and the flash never goes faster or slower. It just started this today, has about 3900 miles on it and only gets used around the farm never deep water or hard mudding.

EDIT: finally figured out how to get it to flash I code. I got 10 flashes then a pause, 10 flashes then a pause. I’m assuming code 10 which to my understanding is a ECM fail safety relay circuit? I don’t know what to do after that?

 

"Fail safe" is exactly what it is doing, both the low top speed and spluttering reverse are because it is in the fail safe mode, often known as limp mode on modern cars. This doesn't get you far regarding diagnosis. I would advise getting the workshop manual and following the reset procedure, the true fault code may then pop up, and if it doesn't, the book gives lots of tests for the angle sensor, shift buttons, etc, which may help with diagnosis. There are no easy solutions with these faults unless it gives a code which says it is a particular component, and even then, can lie, I often get "angle sensor" codes on ES models which, in fact, have shift motor problems, as it codes if the computer recons the sensor has taken too long to register a gearchange, when it is actually the faulty motor has taken too long to change gear.

 

thanks for the response! I cleared the code last night and I even unhooked the battery for awhile after clearing the code. Hooked the battery back up late last night and started it back up and everything was still cleared. I rode it for awhile last night in d1/d2/esp/reverse and all of them performed normally and shifted gears normal. No sputters and no odd sounds or odd shifts and no limited speed “limp mode”. I’ve had it out again today as well as this thing usually gets ridden every day for chores and same results, 100% normalcy with lots of starts and stops and shut offs. I guess just continue to ride it and use it as I normally would until it does it again?

 

Yes, once a fault is gone, you can't trace it, and it may never do it again. If it does, it may code the actual fault next time, giving you a clue, and you know how to re-set it to get it out of limp mode.