Q: Car put in park, started reversing, gear shifter stuck - 2014 Cadillac ATS

asked by on September 03, 2016

My car has gone close to 35,000 miles. I had a problem with the transmission the other day. I put it in park, but the car started going in reverse. I wasn't able to move the gear shifter. It was completely inoperable. So, I turned the car off and attempted to restat it. However, the car couldn't start back up. I have to get it towed to the dealer who didn't find the cause of this problem. I'm in fear that this might happen again in the middle of the road. Do you have any idea what the problem might be?

Hi! There may be a misadjustment between the shift lever and the transmission that caused this issue. A fault with shifter operation could also be to blame. The failure to restart may actually be due to the safety switch that prevents it from starting when in gears other than Park or Neutral. I would sit in my driveway (or maybe at the Cadillac dealer!) and shift it about a hundred times. Start it, shift it, turn it off. All gears, all positions. This is rather unusual to experience this on a late-model vehicle. If you would like, a certified technician from YourMechanic can come to your home or office and inspect your vehicle to address the shift issue.

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