Stuck in park

I own a 1992 VW Cabrio (automatic) and I can’t get it out of park? Anybody else have this problem or know of any solutions?
Thanks :)

May 26, 2004 · Filed under Uncategorized

14 Comments »

  1. 297 Said,

    May 27, 2004 @ 12:00 pm

    Stuck in park – Have you tried pumping the brake pedal?

    Normally, did you have to step on the brakes to shift out of park?
    If so, the brake switch or brake light switch may be broken, making the car think you are not pressing the brake.

  2. butterfli30 Said,

    May 28, 2004 @ 12:00 pm

    Stuck in park – Had same problem with my 00′ Jetta. It was the brake light switch.

  3. Wabbit Said,

    May 28, 2004 @ 12:00 pm

    Stuck in park – paultakeda, I’ve tried to shift the gear by pumping the brakes,No brakes,and even taking the shifter knob off and manually trying to do it.The thing won’t budge.I’ll probably just get it towed to a mechanic.
    If it was the brake light switch,would the brake lights still be working?
    Thanks for your help :)
    -W

  4. Pam Said,

    June 1, 2004 @ 12:00 pm

    Stuck in park – My 2000 Jetta (under 25,000 miles) just got stuck in park this weekend. IN A WALMART parking lot, when I was out of town, of course!!! I had to get it towed and I just got the brake light switch replaced due to a recall… I have no idea what the problem is because it was memorial day weekend and the mechanics weren’t working of course! I am so frustrated.

  5. 297 Said,

    June 1, 2004 @ 12:00 pm

    Stuck in park – The brake lights may still show, but the switch to the tranny may be broken.

  6. janiqua Said,

    June 2, 2004 @ 12:00 pm

    Stuck in park – You may need a new Transmission. I just read about someone else having a similar problem with their 02 VW and it needs that. I am having serious problems with my 99 Jetta also – it sits in the repair shop as I type.

  7. quinto Said,

    June 4, 2004 @ 12:00 pm

    Stuck in park – i had this happen the week after i bought my 2000 jetta. It happened 2 or three times, finally i had to get it towed from a 7-11. In the first couple months i had the check engine light come on several times and in feb (i bought it in sept) i had it in three times in one months. In the years since then i have had several more engine light problems, my rear breaks went early (but right after the 28,000 mile warrenty), my windows have fallen down four times, several recalls (all on parts i had previosuly replaced), and it goes through a quart of oil every 1000 miles. My glove compartment broke off in my had a few weeks ago with no rough use. These are all problems that my friends have had as well. Very frustrating. I am paying the car off this week but am worried how it will last. The most frustrating thing was when i would take the car in and they would act like they had never seen all of these problems when everyone i knew was having them. I would print out examples from the internet and take them in and got most of my work done for free. Good luck.

  8. Wabbit Said,

    August 16, 2004 @ 12:00 pm

    Stuck in park – Thanks everyone for your help.
    I thought it was a transmission problem for sure.I was driving home from work one night (late at night) and I was turning a corner and my car just felt like it broke.It sunk and made the most terrible noise I’ve ever heard.The tow truck driver said it was the tranny also.So I get it towed to the transmission place and the front axle busted and I guess it was starting to go which was causing my car to get stuck in park.Good thing I was only turning a corner and not on a freeway.That could of been ugly.
    Today my car won’t start and I think the starter is gone….If it’s not one thing it’s another.
    Thanks for all your help.
    -Wabbit

  9. aerokat Said,

    October 20, 2004 @ 4:09 am

    Stuck in park – i had the same problem with my new beetle the other day. as i was leafing through the manual, i saw where the previous owner of the car had handwritten a bunch of steps that were seemingly related to my problem, so i tried them. it worked.

    here’s the trick:

    1. turn key 1/4-turn (not so far that lights come on). the gear shift should then be free to move.

    2. move the gear shift between drive and neutral and leave it there.

    3. as you start the engine, shift into drive.

    it took a couple of tries (mostly because i couldn’t get the shifter to rest between drive and neutral at first), but in the end it worked.

    the disturbing thing is that, given that the previous owner had written this all down, this must be a common occurrence that nobody at the vw dealership thought to tell me about.

  10. RatFreak Said,

    October 20, 2004 @ 5:27 am

    Stuck in park – I’ve had that happen twice over the past two years with my 2002 Golf.

    The stealership told me to pump the brakes [worked only the 1st time] or pull on something below the break pedal, which I didn’t want to try as I don’t know much about cars.

  11. aerokat Said,

    October 20, 2004 @ 8:09 am

    Stuck in park – about that little trick–i forgot to say that first you should depress the brake pedal and keep it down while you’re doing the above steps.

  12. ZX1100F1 Said,

    October 21, 2004 @ 4:53 am

    Stuck in park – Maybe if you weren’t so retarded you could afford something better than a 1985 Mercury Cougar loser.

  13. jasenm Said,

    October 21, 2004 @ 12:30 pm

    Stuck in park – my 85 cougar did that too. bottom line its an old car, dont you think its time for a new one?

  14. jasenm Said,

    October 21, 2004 @ 12:35 pm

    Stuck in park – my friend has a 97 civic that that wont leave parking gear as well, i forgot about him. turns out something was wrong with the steering wheel and it was locked into position turned all the way to the right. they had to tow the car to the local shop to get it fixed. funny thing was, the key turned and engine cut on, but the wheel and gearstick would not budge. he complained about it.

    http://www.hondasucks.com/

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