My car gear shift slides through the gears but wont shift out of park. Something is wrong with the transmission shift cable. I see an active recall for this exact problem on my type of car (the federal safety agency 14V224) but for some reason my vin isn’t showing up.
Saturn Aura won't shift problems
58 of the 1,440 owner complaints about the Saturn Aura describe stuck in gear or won't shift, most of them for the 2007 model year.
- owner complaints
- 58
- worst model year
- 2007
- typical repair cost reported
- $3,168
- typical mileage
- 92,000
Is there a fix? There are 3 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
Won't start 14Check engine light 5Transmission failure 3Loss of power 3Jerking 3Stalling 2Harsh shifting 2
Trouble codes mentioned
P2723 1P2101 1P0842 1P0776 1P0449 1
What owners say
The contact owns a 2007 Saturn Aura. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission seized. The contact stated that the engine was still running however, the transmission and the power steering were inoperable. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle went into LIMP Mode. The contact stated that when the accelerator pedal was depressed, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.
The list goes on. Shifting issues started and we've been trying to figure it out among other issues.. Transmission shift cable. Power train transmission. Car randomly won't accelerate while driving. Dials not moving periodically. Coolant holds normally then randomly is emptied like their is a leak. Fill it up & it sucks it on like it won't hold it. Thirsty. Coolant leak but no service light. Car overheated for awhile but now doesn't. Wouod just shoot up to red zone. Got a call last night that it wasn't shifting right & sounded bad. Wks before randomly hard shifted. Our kid was stranded in the cold. Got to him & the car wouldn't shift from neutral. It rolled backwards on him & he threw on the parking brake thankfully!! Scary ordeal & thankful he is ok. When shifting gears, the shifter moved but sounds like it's not connected to anything & the gears don't shift. It stays in neutral. Car won't start. He also randomly has battery issues when his alternator & battery are good. Car just won't start randomly. It is available for inspection once we get it home.. I was led here thinking, it has to have recalls & we weren't notified then I saw recalls for this make & model, just not ours. No warning lights this time. Service engine has came on before them go off intermittently. We've had it connected at auto zone & fixed a few codes it through then service light went off. It's reduced engine power while driving & doesn't accelerate. Drives slow. Reduced power. All these previous issues now the shifting cable. :(
The contact owns a 2007 Saturn Aura. The contact stated while trying to pull into a parking spot, the vehicle would not shift into gear. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local mechanic where it was diagnosed and repaired. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 14V224000 (Power Train) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 103,000.
I put the car in reverse and it went into reverse. But then when I put the car into drive right after it kept going in reverse. I almost hit another car. Luckly there was no one behind me that got injured. I then put car in park and no car is locked up in park in the middle of the driveway. Will not shift into any gear including neutral.
Today while getting off the freeway my car wheels started to shake and then my car wouldn't go and take care of first I thought it was a flat tire but when I try to drive it it wouldn't go like it was stuck in neutral. Tried to turn it off and back in drive but no luck. I'm thinking it's the transmission linkage but then again I don't know
I took my vehicle in for an "electric power steering assist" recall. Drove it there, but had to tow it off because the shift cable broke. It will not shift into any gear, just stuck in drive. Also wont start now I assume because it wont go in park. The lock buttons/ windows dont work either
I tried pulling my car out of my garage and my car got stuck in drive and will not shift to any other gear. And since it's stuck in drive it will not start back up.
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.
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.
Related recalls
Power train: automatic transmission
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) notified the agency on April 29, 2014, that they are recalling 56,214 model year 2007 and 2008 Saturn Aura vehicles. On May 22, 2014, GM increased the recall to include an additional 1,074,899 model year 2004-2008 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured from May 16, 2003, through October 5, 2007, model year 2004-2007 Malibu Maxx vehicles manufactured from June 25, 2003, through April 5, 2007, and model year 2005-2008 Pontiac G6 vehicles manufactured from May 26, 2004, through September 28, 2007, and equipped with 4-speed transmissions. The total number vehicles being recalled is now 1,131,113.
- Risk
- If the transmission shift cable fractures while the vehicle is being driven, the transmission gear selection may not match the indicated gear and the vehicle may move in an unintended or unexpected direction, increasing the risk of a crash. Furthermore, when the driver goes to stop and park the vehicle, despite selecting the PARK position, the transmission may not be in PARK. If the vehicle is not in the "PARK" position there is a risk the vehicle will roll away as the driver and other occupants exit the vehicle or anytime thereafter. A vehicle rollaway increases the risk of injury to exiting occupants and bystanders.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and GM dealers will replace the shift cable assembly and mounting bracket, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule. Owners may contact General Motors at 1‑800‑553‑6000. GM's number for this recall is 14152.
Recall number 14V224000 · Recall details
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 Saturn Aura won't shift
Which Saturn Aura years have stuck in gear or won't shift problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2007 (35 complaints), 2008 (14 complaints) and 2009 (9 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix stuck in gear or won't shift on the Saturn Aura?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $3,168 (median of 6 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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