The plastic casing on the shifter cable has broken and the sprag on the at transmission is bad.... Or so I have been told. It is in the driveway now with the abc, brake, traction control and ESC lights lit as well as error codes p0449 & p2101. I have temp repaired the shifter cable and it will shift through the gears but will not go into gear. I was driving down I-635 when it stopped going into gear.
2009 Saturn Aura: stuck in gear or won't shift
9 of the 390 complaints about the 2009 Saturn Aura describe stuck in gear or won't shift.
- owner complaints
- 9
- of this car's complaints
- 2%
- typical mileage
- 81,000
- recalls
- 2
Is there a fix? There are 2 recalls and 64 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Stuck in gear or won't shift by model year
What owners say
Traction control button (triangle on dash) will display then gauges start flickering back and fourth like an electrical issue and then on display it says service ESC and car will not shift into gears and you cannot steer or control vehicle properly with these issues going on. I entered my VIN because there are recalls for these issues but it says my VIN was not recalled. Once car is shut off it will reset itself I guess but it has happened several times now.
My transmission went out suddenly on the tex-express toll road in dallas, going 75 MPH (the posted speed limit) on a narrow 2 lane overpass in the dark hours of the morning. There were previously no mechanical problems then suddenly I was going about 45 miles an hour. I managed to get off the overpass without an accident but my car would not shift to higher gears and upon parking it I discovered it wouldn't go in reverse either. My mechanic said that the wave plate broke and tore out the rest of the transmission. Other gm cars from my year had their wave plates part of a voluntary recall, however my VIN is not listed as an affected unit. I'm concerned the problem may be more wide spread than originally reported.
One evening I got in my car and it refused to start. After a few minutes of troubleshooting I tried starting in neutral which worked. Since that night the vehicle does not go into park. The gear position indicator does not match the current gear. The only way to park the car is to set the gear shift to park and set the parking brake. You can then take the key out. To start it again you have turn the key on and move the selector neutral. This is a hazard because you need to remember to set the parking brake when you turn the car off or it will roll away. Even if you set the car in park while the engine is running the car will reverse or roll away if you don't apply the brake or set the parking brake.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 saturn aura. While driving 40 MPH, the gear became stuck in second gear. The failure occurred sporadically. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was repaired under the federal safety agency campaign number: 12v460000 (power train); however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 60,500.
My car will not go into park. I was reading on it and it said that the shifter cable has been recalled before. We do not know if it was fixed, and we need to get it fixed before it causes an accident. The recall number that has been entered in 2012 is 12v460000. Can you please tell us what we need to do.
The car does not go into reverse and does not seem to get out of third gear. The car will only get out of third gear after the engine revs and seem to shift hard. Stalls on highway and city streets and at times cant go faster than 20-25 MPH. I changed the transmission fluid the other day which seemed to help temporarily however it went back to the way its acting currently. Please help.
When driving my car will briefly lose power. Gas becomes unresponsive. Once everything kicks back on the transmission will not shift, and dash displays service ESC, traction, power steering, ABS. After this happens car will not start after it's shut off. Sometimes it just flickers, causing brake lights to stay on, blinkers to cut in and out.
The car would not go into park as a result the car would roll forward or backward with the engine off. It was also difficult to restart as it would not engage in park. Took it to a gm dealer, who said it was not a recall as the aura has a six speed transmission and only auras with a 4 speed transmission were covered when the shift link breaks.
Service bulletins that may apply
- This service bulletin provides information on some vehicles that may rock or move slightly forward or...
- This bulletin provides information on the harmful effects of water or ethylene glycol in transmission fluid.
- Power train
- This service bulletin provides information on OEM and Remanufactured Engine and Automatic...
- Power train
- This Warranty Admin service bulletin provides guidelines for Dealers Not Required and for Dealers Required...
- This bulletin provides information on Policies Applicable to All U.S. Dealers for Engine and Transmission...
- This Bulletin provides guidelines for Dealers Not Required and for Dealers Required to Contact the PQC for...
Related recalls
Power train: automatic transmission: gear position indication (PRNDL)
- What is wrong
- General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2007-2010 Saturn Aura and model year 2008-2010 Chevrolet Malibu and Pontiac G6 vehicles, equipped with a 4-speed automatic transmission. On these vehicles, the tabs on the transmission shift cable end may fracture and separate.
- Risk
- If the tabs were to fracture and separate, the shift lever and the actual position of the transmission gear may not match. The driver would be able to move the shifter to 'PARK' and remove the ignition key, but the transmission gear may not be in 'PARK.' The vehicle may not be able to be restarted and the vehicle could roll away after the driver has exited the vehicle, resulting in a possible crash without prior warning.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will install a retainer over the cable end or replace the shift cable as necessary. This service will be performed free of charge. Notification to owners began on on November 9, 2012. Owners were instructed to not bring their vehicles for repair until January 2013. Owners may contact General Motors at 1‑800‑521‑7300.
Recall number 12V460000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission: lever and linkage: column shift
- What is wrong
- General motors is recalling 276,729 my 2009 buick enclave, chevrolet cobalt, hhr, malibu, traverse, gmc acadia, pontiac g5, g6 and saturn aura and outlook passenger vehicles. These vehicles fail to comply with federal motor vehicles safety standard 102, "transmission shift position sequence, starter interlock, and transmission braking effect", and fmvss 114, "theft protection and rollaway prevention". On some of these vehicles, the transmission shift cable adjustment clip may not be fully engaged. If the clip is not fully engaged, the shift lever and the actual position of the transmission gear may not match. With this condition, the drive could move the shifter to "park" and remove the ignition key, but the transmission gear may not be in "park".
- Risk
- The driver may not be able to restart the vehicle and the vehicle could roll away after the driver has exited the vehicle, resulting in a possible crash without prior warning.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and ensure that the shift cable adjustment clip is fully engaged. In the event that the clip does not engage, the shift cable will be replaced free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on or before march 24, 2009. Owners may contact buick at 1‑866‑608‑8080, chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438, gmc at 1‑866‑996‑9463, pontiac at 1‑800‑620‑7668 and saturn at 1‑800‑972‑8876 or at www.gmownercenter.com.
Recall number 09V073000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2009 Saturn Aura won't shift
Is stuck in gear or won't shift a common problem on the 2009 Saturn Aura?
9 of 390 owner complaints about the 2009 Saturn Aura (2%) mention stuck in gear or won't shift. The model year with the most reports is 2007.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2009 Saturn Aura?
There are 2 recalls and 64 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2009 Saturn Aura
Power steering loss 76Loss of power 35Steering lock-up 24Check engine light 17Engine failure 17Jerking 16Adaptive cruise 14Transmission failure 11Stalling 10ABS 7Airbag light 7Headlights 6Slipping 6Wipers 6Won't start 6No deployment 5Door locks 5Fuel smell 5Hesitation 5
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2009 Saturn Aura?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history