A6 Shift Button Not Depressing
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 306
Likes: 1
From: Huntingdon England
A6 Shift Button Not Depressing
I have had intermittent problems with my 2006 A6 Corvette, just passed 50k miles. Before I get blasted, I did some searching and found similar problems getting the shifter out of park, but not sure if it is button related or not.
Basically, I start the car and SOMETIMES (maybe once a week) the button on the shifter will not depress. I have to keep playing with it and trying to get it to depress until it finally does. I figured it was maybe the brake switch or something telling the shifter its ok to take out of park, so i brought it in to the dealership on Friday.
They had it all day and finally I called and they tell me it is the brake controller and a broken cable and for parts and labor it would cost me $750.00. I am not mechanically inclined, and don't know a lot about cars, but this sounded odd to me. seems to me, if the cable was broke, I would never be able to shift...period. I told them to hold off in ordering parts, and I think I want to go by and see what they are talking about. I am always skeptical with dealerships, so wondering if while they were trying to diagnose, they broke it worse.
Does this price and problem sound odd or on point to you guys? Any help appreciated....
Basically, I start the car and SOMETIMES (maybe once a week) the button on the shifter will not depress. I have to keep playing with it and trying to get it to depress until it finally does. I figured it was maybe the brake switch or something telling the shifter its ok to take out of park, so i brought it in to the dealership on Friday.
They had it all day and finally I called and they tell me it is the brake controller and a broken cable and for parts and labor it would cost me $750.00. I am not mechanically inclined, and don't know a lot about cars, but this sounded odd to me. seems to me, if the cable was broke, I would never be able to shift...period. I told them to hold off in ordering parts, and I think I want to go by and see what they are talking about. I am always skeptical with dealerships, so wondering if while they were trying to diagnose, they broke it worse.
Does this price and problem sound odd or on point to you guys? Any help appreciated....
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 3,639
Likes: 8
From: Jersey Strong NY/NJ
$750 is crazy. Go somewhere else. Pop the little trim piece off the top of the shifter maybe you can get a better look at what's happening. Might just be a bad button not engaging correctly when depressed.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 306
Likes: 1
From: Huntingdon England
Plus don't really know an alternative place to take it
Race Director
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 13,733
Likes: 66
From: Hurst, TX USA
I had the same problem with my 2005. The button occasionally would be impossible to depress, basically locking the car in Park. Every time it did it I was able to jiggle and shove it various ways and poof it would be back to normal. (Stepping on the brake a couple times hard also seemed to help. But that might be coincidental.) I traded it before it stuck permanently so I don't know the solution, but other threads suggest the whole shifter would eventually have to be replaced.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 2,655
Likes: 5
From: Brea CA
It is a known problem... It is a bad shifter, and it is common to put in a new cable at the same time... Normal price is about $600 ish...
FYI if you get stuck, turn the engine off, put it in the "ON" mode, not starting the engine, it will shift in into "N" THEN you can start the car and shift into "D". This is in the owners manuel.
FYI if you get stuck, turn the engine off, put it in the "ON" mode, not starting the engine, it will shift in into "N" THEN you can start the car and shift into "D". This is in the owners manuel.
Racer
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 288
Likes: 12
From: AZ
I had a similar issue, (maybe closer to the “stuck in park” problem) with my 2006 Z51; it happened a couple of times a day. Two weeks ago a very experienced corvette guy came over and looked at my vette. He removed the center console, (took the cigarette lighter connection apart by feel…normally it takes me an hour and a lot of cussingr…) anyway he looked at the solenoid located next to the shifter and found it wasn’t “clicking”. He put a dab of lithium grease on the plastic linkage, (sorry didn’t take a pic of it, but it’s attached to the rod at the end of the solenoid…) So far the “issue” has not returned…
Think it’s worth a shot before dropping $750….
Think it’s worth a shot before dropping $750….
