The wing goes up in times of weak battery as a self protect feature. Theory behind it is that should you have a slow/no crank in winter the wing will go up so that it is not frozen closed should the vehicle start.

If you have an auto trans, and the wing is not functioning, the TCM (Transmission Control Module) will signal the PCM to go into "Limp-In" mode, this limits RPM and gear selection (2nd or 3rd gear max) as to not damage the car too much. Many things can cause the vehicle to go into Limp mode so I can't give you a list.

HTH



Justin