C6 Corvette General Discussion General C6 Corvette Discussion not covered in Tech
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by: Feral Industries

2008 automatic shifter problem

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Dec 5, 2019 | 09:22 PM
  #1  
Biggarlick's Avatar
Biggarlick
Thread Starter
7th Gear
 
Joined: Nov 2016
Posts: 7
Likes: 0
Default 2008 automatic shifter problem

Occasionally, my automatic transmission will not shift out of park. The release button will not go in and release the shifter. After messing with it for a while, it will start working normally. It sometimes takes a couple minutes before it will release.
Anybody have this issue?
Reply
Old Dec 5, 2019 | 09:49 PM
  #2  
Trebor's Avatar
Trebor
Drifting
20 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 1,707
Likes: 285
Default

Unfortunately this is a pretty common problem from what I've read on the forum. There are many posts about this. Here is one: https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...use-found.html
Reply
Old Dec 5, 2019 | 10:22 PM
  #3  
4SUMERZ's Avatar
4SUMERZ
Race Director
15 Year Member
Photogenic
Photoriffic
Shutterbug
 
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 11,349
Likes: 2,443
From: Eastern
Default

Most with the auto from 2005 until 2013 have or will experience this. It is indeed that little micro switch in front of the shifter that gets weak or fails, and this is required to energize the lock out solenoid to disengage the shifter locking pawl. Sometimes one can get the shifter out of Park, then it will not be able to get back into Park if the locking pawl doesn't disengage completely.
Before the actual culprit (micro switch) was identified as the cause, most of us just simply tied the locking pawl back, which forever would disable it, and never have the "stuck in Park" scenario happen again.
Some of us have tied the locking pawl and ran the wire to the console, thus keeping the lock out safety in play, but able to disengage the locking pawl if required, by pulling on that wire.
I believe it shows that wire in the console on post # 33 in the attached link.

I have attached a PDF which shows how to get to and tie back the locking pawl. You can decide to either replace the micro switch, or tie back the locking pawl.

Last edited by 4SUMERZ; Dec 6, 2019 at 11:12 AM.
Reply
Old Dec 6, 2019 | 10:34 AM
  #4  
new 2 me's Avatar
new 2 me
Racer
 
Joined: Aug 2019
Posts: 313
Likes: 24
Default

Thanks
Reply
Old Dec 6, 2019 | 12:56 PM
  #5  
cmonkey713's Avatar
cmonkey713
Race Director
15 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 14,093
Likes: 1,599
From: Edmond Oklahoma
Default

The easiest thing like 4SUMMERZ posted is to tie the locking pawl back with some safety wire and be done with it.
Reply
Old Dec 8, 2019 | 11:41 PM
  #6  
Biggarlick's Avatar
Biggarlick
Thread Starter
7th Gear
 
Joined: Nov 2016
Posts: 7
Likes: 0
Default

Thank you for the solution to this problem!
Reply
Old Dec 10, 2019 | 12:45 AM
  #7  
Paul Carpenter's Avatar
Paul Carpenter
Cruising
 
Joined: Apr 2019
Posts: 10
Likes: 1
From: Norman, Oklahoma
Default Replace shifter

Mine is doing the same thing but with some medium pressure forward with foot on brake usually gets it to shift. I have replaced three of the whole shifter assembly’s on friends cars and it’s not hard at all. I think the new assembly is about 200.00. That’s what I would recommend.
Reply
Old Dec 10, 2019 | 09:50 AM
  #8  
4SUMERZ's Avatar
4SUMERZ
Race Director
15 Year Member
Photogenic
Photoriffic
Shutterbug
 
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 11,349
Likes: 2,443
From: Eastern
Default

Originally Posted by Paul Carpenter
Mine is doing the same thing but with some medium pressure forward with foot on brake usually gets it to shift. I have replaced three of the whole shifter assembly’s on friends cars and it’s not hard at all. I think the new assembly is about 200.00. That’s what I would recommend.
The action of pushing the shifter forward means that the micro switch arm in front of the shifter arm is getting weak, and has to be pushed further in to activate the lock out solenoid.
Why get another shifter assembly that in time will do the exact same thing? Either replace the micro switch with a new one, or tie back the locking pawl, either permanently or in an as needed basis.
It's an OEM flaw on the A/T shifter that uses cheap micro switches that can be bought at any Radio Shack.

Last edited by 4SUMERZ; Dec 10, 2019 at 09:51 AM.
Reply

Get notified of new replies

To 2008 automatic shifter problem

Corvette Stories

The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts

story-0

10 Ugly Corvettes That We Still Kinda Love

 Joe Kucinski
story-1

Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer

 Brett Foote
story-2

10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)

 Michael S. Palmer
story-3

8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-4

10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years

 Joe Kucinski
story-5

How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972

 Joe Kucinski
story-6

Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!

 Michael S. Palmer
story-7

Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!

 Joe Kucinski
story-8

150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter

 Joe Kucinski
story-9

8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time

 Verdad Gallardo




All times are GMT -4. The time now is 03:35 PM.

story-0
10 Ugly Corvettes That We Still Kinda Love

Slideshow: 10 ugly Corvettes that we still kinda love.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-06-03 10:34:17


VIEW MORE
story-1
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer

A lot of money has changed hands at the online auction house over the years.

By Brett Foote | 2026-06-03 10:21:50


VIEW MORE
story-2
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)

Slideshow: 10 great gifts Corvette enthusiasts actually want for Father's Day!

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-06-03 15:43:40


VIEW MORE
story-3
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems

Slideshow: These are the quirks, annoyances, and oddly lovable problems that every Corvette owner eventually learns to live with.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-05-28 09:31:39


VIEW MORE
story-4
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years

Slideshow: 10 reasons why the C6 Z06 is still a performance benchmark after 20 years.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-27 17:20:09


VIEW MORE
story-5
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972

Slideshow: How much horsepower every Corvette engine lost in 1972.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-27 16:54:53


VIEW MORE
story-6
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!

Slideshow: How to Protect A Convertible Top: 10 DOs & DON'Ts

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-04-03 00:00:00


VIEW MORE
story-7
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!

Slideshow: The 10 most explosive Corvettes ever built based on power-to-weight ratio.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-20 07:23:03


VIEW MORE
story-8
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter

Slideshow: From C1 to C8 we compare every Corvette generation by the numbers.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-12 16:54:12


VIEW MORE
story-9
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time

Slideshow: Some Corvette pace cars became collectible legends, while others perfectly captured the look and attitude of their era.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-11 09:50:51


VIEW MORE