Involuntary Reverse Gear Selection

[Mal ST]

Hi,has anyone experienced this and what was the resolution i.e. stopping in a high gear then trying to select first to move forward but finding reverse instead, bringing lever out of reverse trying first again only to find reverse again,eventually finding 1st.

It`s very disconcerting when it happens.
The pressure on the gear lever seems very light,I am mindful of not putting downward pressure on the lever when selecting 1st. The two gears seem very close together to me.

Mal ST

 

[Daire92]

I've been driving my Leon for almost 6 months now from new and I have not had this happen once and I'd be fairly aggressive with my shifter. The push down safety mechanism is fairly stiff in my car, stiffer than my old Focus. Might be worth bringing it back to the dealer and let them have a look.

 

[Mal ST]

Hi,Daire92,

Thanks for your reply,as you say looks like a trip to the dealer or a phone call to SEAT CS.

Anyway, as you say the push down pressure on your gear lever is heavy i.e. heavier than mine,could have weakened spring i suppose.

I still hope someone else has experienced this so that I could take that info to the dealer.

 

[matthab]

Never had this issue with any car I have had.

Is it even possible to that over a certain speed? Thought there was a safety mechanism in place?

 

[FamilyGuy]

Your arm's too heavy. I did this a few times in the first few weeks of ownership but soon recalibrated my brain.

Sent from my D5803 using Tapatalk

 

[2Stevo2]

I have been having a few issues with my gearbox (notchy/rough changes) and whilst doing some research on here and other VAG forums, it appears to be a well known issues amongst some owners however they have been having similar issues to me. I believe a lot of them sorted this by having the gear linkages adjusted. If this is ur only symptom tho Id we wary of adjusting.

 

[Porker3]

Same here, happened quite a lot. Once your mindful of it, the frequency reduces significantly. However no matter, it shouldnt happen. Only my lazyness has prevented me from taking it to the dealers.

 

[Mal ST]

Thanks all for your replies,

I have done another test of engaging 1st gear from stationary i.e.

using light pressure to the left,when lever stops push forward I find that the lever baulks, more forward pressure lever moves around baulk to the right and into 1st.

It seems to me that with my hand holding the lever knob and pushing against the baulk, downward pressure can be exerted engaging reverse due to light spring tension.

This is only an intermittent problem.

My question is does anyone else have baulking when trying to engage 1st gear and can it be resolved.

 

[philhoward]

Used to do it occasionally in both a Passat and a Golf. Now back in a DSG

 

[FamilyGuy]

Thanks all for your replies,

I have done another test of engaging 1st gear from stationary i.e.

using light pressure to the left,when lever stops push forward I find that the lever baulks, more forward pressure lever moves around baulk to the right and into 1st.

It seems to me that with my hand holding the lever knob and pushing against the baulk, downward pressure can be exerted engaging reverse due to light spring tension.

This is only an intermittent problem.

My question is does anyone else have baulking when trying to engage 1st gear and can it be resolved.

How many miles has your car done? If it's new I'd be inclined to leave it for a few thousand miles as the gearboxes are notoriously stiff when new. If it's not a new car I'd be booking it in.

Sent from my D5803 using Tapatalk

 

[Mal ST]

The car has done approx 5100 miles.
Contacted SEAT CS via website form with the same info I provided here.
Their email reply to that was that they were not clear what the issue was?

Anyway, advised to book it in to my local dealer,they will then liaise with the dealer and myself.

Won`t hold my breath for a satisfactory resolution.

 

[percycars]

reverse gear instead of 1st

I have a 184 fr and i find that i get reverse gear instead of 1st a few times.If i was in reverse and then select 1st the car is still in reverse

 

[dsr]

Happens to me sometimes when in a hurry - usually reversing into traffic. Too quick change into first - but back into reverse. Panic - and it happens again. Breathe for half a second and all is well. As others have mentioned, it needs that tiny bit of space and feel to be sure of getting it right.

 

[m0rk]

The car has done approx 5100 miles.
Contacted SEAT CS via website form with the same info I provided here.
Their email reply to that was that they were not clear what the issue was?

Anyway, advised to book it in to my local dealer,they will then liaise with the dealer and myself.

Won`t hold my breath for a satisfactory resolution.

They're too polite to blame user error

 

[percycars]

reverse gear

I have been driving 32 years and i know how to select gears,it is not user error

 

[Mal ST]

Hi,PercyCars,

couldn`t have put it better myself i.e. when you manage to get reverse instead of 1st then it appears not to want to come out again for several attempts.

As for it being user error, been driving since 1967,driven dozens of cars in that time manuals and auto`s never experienced this before.

Previous 2 cars were VAG, I assume with similar gearboxes without this problem.

As I said in a previous post on attempting to select 1st, initially baulks until more pressure is applied which can convert to downward motion resulting in selecting reverse. Thank goodness it is very intermittent.

Car booked into dealer for investigation.Their initial diagnosis is a selector issue on 1st gear.

Leon ST FR 2.0L 150 Manual Ice Silver (64 Reg)

 

[SaintMac]

Having a similar issue on my sons Leon 1.4 FR. Really difficult to get into 1st. Just had Seat Assstance out and they seem to think it is probably a gear selector issue. They have said not to drive it, so has been dropped off at our local dealer and now await a courtesy car.

It is a 16 plate with 3,500 miles.

 

[2Stevo2]

Im convinced that far too many vehicles are being delivered brand new with the gear linkages out of sync. Every Leon driver ive spoken to who has had there linkages reset have reported much better, more precise gear changes. Should be a recall IMO.

 

[Mal ST]

Hi all, car booked in on Thursday for investigation of reverse gear selection for 1st.

Still think it`s because of baulking trying to select 1st intermittently.

Anyway from the feedback other users have posted seems like an issue with linkage setup of SEAT gearboxes.

I`ll post the results of the investigation here.

MAL ST

 

[SaintMac]

Just a quick update on my sons car. Adjusting the gear selector hasn't resolved the issue, so they think the issue is in the gearbox, so have started to take that apart to investigate.