Causes A Car That Won’t Go in Reverse

The transmission of a car is indeed one of the most important systems of any car and you can not even think of operating a vehicle without its gears functioning properly. At times, there can be a malfunction with the gears wherein the reverse gear, in particular, might not work properly. Take a look at the top reasons why your car won’t go in reverse.

Top reasons your car won’t go in reverse

• Low Transmission Fluid (Manual/Automatic)
  Low levels of transmission fluid in your vehicle is one of the most common reasons for problems in reversing the vehicle. It is a major source of all the problems like gear slippage, shifting problems, and also overheated gears.
• Faulty Transmission Position Sensor (Automatic)
  It is advisable to start at the source. In the event, you drive an automatic transmission car and shift it into reverse using the lever, there is an electronic sensor that tells the powertrain control module to be shifted in reverse. If the sensor starts to fail or undergoes any type of malfunction then it may hinder the car to shift in reverse. This might also shift the car into a limp mode wherein you cannot shift the gear beyond third gear.
• Worn Out Valve Body (Automatic)
  All automatic transmission cars have a valve body. It is a large, maze-like component that directs the flow of hydraulic fluid to the valves and is responsible for allowing a car to shift gears smoothly whenever required. In the event of a bad transmission valve body, you might experience a delay in shifting into reverse or at times simply nothing happening after shifting in reverse and also stepping on the gas.
• Faulty Shifter Mechanism (Manual)
  When you encounter a problem in shifting to reverse in a manual transmission, it is the shifter that is at fault in such situations. At times it may take a lot of time and effort to put the shifter in reverse or might you might also feel some blockage. It is mostly the shifter linkage, cables, or bushings that are the cause.
• Dirty Transmission Fluid or Filter (Manual or Automatic)
  Sometimes the transmission fluid gets contaminated with enough hardened deposits or other gunk that it actually affects a vehicle shifting into reverse or other gears. While not that common of an issue, changing the transmission fluid and filter (if your car has one) is a cheap course of action. Check the condition of your transmission fluid (see our color chart) to see if it needs to be replaced. Even if that doesn’t fix the reverse gear issue, you may have prevented future transmission problems.
• Faulty Lockout Ring (Manual)
  The main purpose behind the lockout ring is to prevent you from unknowingly shifting into reverse while the car is moving in the forward direction.

The above discussed are some of the top reasons why your car won’t go in reverse. Make sure that you take care of all these situations and prevent the occurrence of any such problem.

If you find the above information useful then you may also like this blog How to Remove Rust from Your Car?