Car only starts when you have the gear shift in neutral and when you switch it to drive or reverse it just stays idle

LINGEMI77

MEMBER
2006 SATURN VUE
6 CYL
4WD
AUTOMATIC
155,000 MILES

I just got this vehicle a month ago, first issue was the car would not start, after about 1 hour it started up just fine and drove fine, the following day it wouldn't start again AAA came said my battery was fine but a mechanic said the battery tested a little low, since then I now have to start the car with the gear in neutral and my foot on the brake. About 1 week ago after the car starts and I put it in drive or reverse it does absolutely nothing it just idles and stays where it was parked. Any advice? I had the battery checked again and they said it was fine there no clicking or noises when I'm trying to drive or reverse. Thank you for any help or suggestions you can give me!

1 Reply

JACOBANDNICKOLAS

MECHANIC
109,885 POSTS

The idea that you need to start it in neutral leads me to believe there is an issue with the park/neutral switch on the transmission. On this vehicle, it is called a transmission range sensor.

There are two different transmissions that this could be. If you look below, I included the shift cable locations in the vehicle and on the transmission for both transmissions. I need you to locate the sift cable at the transmission and check to make sure nothing is loose. Have a helper shift through the gear while you watch to see if there is movement in the cable before the shift lever moves.

Next, turn the key to run (engine off) and pay attention to the shifter as you shift through the gears. Does the gear indicator align with the gear selected? Does it feel as though there is any play in the shifter, or does it feel loose?

Try this and let me know the results. I suspect the issue could be related to an adjustment issue with the cable or the range sensor is going bad.

Let me know what you find or if you have other questions.

Take care,

Joe

See pics below.

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