my engine light came on and showed a diagnostic code PO741

Mine does that too. It is a TCC (Torque Converter Clutch) sensor problem. When the vehicle reaches a speed over 40 MPH (or 45, can't recall), it engages the clutch to reduce the power lost in the torque converter. Engaging the clutch allowes a perfect 1 to 1 spin ration from the output of the engine, and the input of the transmission. In my car, the clutch engages, but the sensor is bad, leading th the code being triggered at random times...sometimes even at idle. What I would say is when it comes on, stop, and run the diagnostics on your dash. If it says "CODE P0741 CURRENT" while you are parked it may just be a bad sensor. If it says "CODE P0741 HISTORY"it may be triggering correctly. This is a common problem from what I understand, and runs about $800 to repair if it is just the TCC sensor. If the clutch is actually failing, you will run about 2-4 mpg less than normal, and you will notice higher RMP than normal at higher cruising speeds. Between me and the transmission shop, we pretty much figured it was a sensor error, and left it alone, and that was about a year ago, no problems except the engine light coming on. It could be serious, or just annoying. Hope this gives you some insight.