Q: In the middle of driving my car stops moving but is still running.
I was at a traffic stop and when the light turned green I put my foot on the gas but the car would not move it just revved up. I got the car towed home, because it wouldn't go into gear. I let it sit for about a week. I wanted to see if I could get the car to move and it shifted into reverse and drive normally, but I didn't go far. A couple days later I tried driving it a little further and the car drove normal. About 10-15 minutes later while driving the car, it just slows down as if I took my foot off the gas, but I had not. The car was still running but had stopped moving. Luckily I was back home and was able to coast into a parking spot. Not sure what caused this because there were no warning signs of a failing transmission at all. I have not driven the car on any main roads for fear of this happening again. Please help
My car has 187000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.
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What you are describing is often a sign of low transmission fluid or a faulty transmission control solenoid. As you know, automatic transmissions use pressurized hydraulic fluid to change gears. Every time a gear change is required, the car’s computer activates a transmission solenoid, which directs transmission fluid into the valve body to engage the correct gear. When this is faulty or not working properly, this can cause a delay in gear shifting or in some cases cause the car to not shift at all. This type of problem is amplified any time the transmission is low on fluid creating a drop in hydraulic pressure. I would recommend having a professional from YourMechanic come to your location to diagnose and inspect your vehicle.
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