04 cavalier stuck in reverse! PLEASE HELP ME!

[BlakeLindsey7]

I just bought my first car 2 weeks ago and i went to go in reverse and i noticed my "gear changer"? was loose! Well i went to go in drive and it stayed in reverse. I put it in park it still was going in reverse if i didn't have my foot on the break as well as any other neutral, drive, anything would go in REVERSE. Im very worried and can't drive my car in reverse so it's currently in a parking lot!. . .so my question is is this fixable? What could be wrong? Please any help?

[Tech II]

Gear changer was loose? Do you mean your floor shifter? If your shifter has no resistance when moving it, then the cable probably became disconnected at the shifter or at the tranny.....

Open the hood, and look down at the top rear of the tranny....you will see a bracket and a cable.......with e-brake on, key on, not running, have someone move the shifter....if the cable moves, but the end is not connected, you have to pop the cable back onto the lever on top of the tranny.....if the cable doesn't move when the shifter is moved, then the center console top has to be removed and see if the cable popped off the shifter....If the cable is broken or bends, and you are in reverse, with the engine not running, push the lever on top of the tranny forward, towards the front of the vehicle....the lever should only be able to move forward one click into park....with foot on brake, and e-brake on....see if car starts....if it does, that means you are in park now.....shut car off.....now move the lever TWO CLICKS to the rear.....you should now be in neutral.....apply ebrake and brake pedal and see if car starts....if it does, you are in neutral....staying behind the wheel, have someone push the lever back towards the rear of the vehicle, JUST ONE CLICK....you are now in DRIVE.....you can now drive the vehicle to the dealership, or to be on the safe side, have them come and get the vehicle.....

If the cable does move, and there is no resistance, and it is connected to the tranny, and the lever moves the problem is inside the tranny....

Since you've only had this vehicle 2 weeks, this should be covered under a used car warranty by the dealership that sold it to you.....

[GMCustomerService]

Sorry to hear about the concern you’ve got with your Cavalier. My suggestion would be to get it to your servicing dealership for them to look at.

If you’d like Customer Assistance on working with your dealership towards getting the “stuck in reverse” concern resolved, please send me a private message with your first and last name, phone number, VIN (vehicle identification number – typically located on the driver’s side under the glass up by the windshield wipers; 17-digits), and current mileage of the car.

Best,
Sarah
GM Customer Service