When the transmission is shifted into drive or reverse the car shuts off

170,000 MILES • 2.0L • 4 CYL • 2WD • AUTOMATIC
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LT217
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  • 1 POST
Will idle fine but immediately shuts off in drive and in reverse too unless revved up then dropped into gear then it stays running and will even idle in reverse.
Apr 21, 2022 at 7:50 AM
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JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • ✓Experienced Mechanic
  • 110,244 POSTS
Hi,

That's an interesting one. I have a few questions for you. First, when it shuts off, does the vehicle lunge in the direction you shift to? For example, if you place it in drive, does it jump forward similar to how a manual transmission would react if your foot slipped off the clutch?

Also, is the check engine light staying on when the engine is running? If it is, the first thing I would recommend is to have the can-bus scanned for diagnostic trouble codes. CAN stands for controller area network.

Basically, all the computers/modules are tied together via a few wires. They communicate back and forth with each other. This type of scan will retrieve codes regardless of the module storing it. In this case, the transmission control module may have stored codes that a traditional scanner won't read.

Here is a link that shows how it is done:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/can-scan-controller-area-network-easy

Let me know as much as you can as far as the issue is concerned. Also, if you can have it scanned, that may prove beneficial in helping locate the cause of the problem.

Take care and I'll watch for your reply.

Joe
Apr 21, 2022 at 12:44 PM
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