Won't Shift in to Reverse or Drive

[HopeToGolf]

If you think your phone might be making a difference...what phone do you have?

iPhone 6s

I’m not sure if it is the phone or not. I only mentioned my phone since I use it as the key.

 

[stargazer]

I replicated this by opening the car via mobile app.. but no BT connection occurred on the phone. It was stuck in a 'connecting' state. I was able to fix by either using key card or disabling/re-enabling mobile BT.

 

[nvx1977]

I believe this is happening when the car is not detecting your phone (even if you just used your phone to unlock the car). To fix, either airplane mode toggle the phone, or use key card at the cup holder. I think the car sometimes doesn't show you the "use keycard" window+chime. This happens to me on occasion, but only since I've been on 2018.18.14. I'm still on that version.

 

[colettimj]

Happened twice to me. I don't recall the exact circumstances for the first occurrence, but this morning it let me in with the phone but then prompted me for a key card. I didn't need to use the key card but it wouldn't move from P.

Restart via wheel/brakes didn't help. Tesla roadside assistance had me do a full power off from the menu. It did work afterwards but I don't know if the power off helped.

 

[azsupra]

This happened to me last night as well. I walked away for 5 minutes, turned my phone off and came back with just the key card and still no luck. All controls in the car worked fine just no shifting. Tesla roadside had me reboot via scroll wheels multiple times and also power the car off via the menu and no luck. Strangely enough I clicked the start button from within the Tesla app once I was home while the tow truck company was getting the car prepped and according to them they could temporarily put the car in drive. Car is at the service center now.

 

[Pdb1954]

Same problem, can't go into Drive or Reverse. I turned off Bluetooth on my iPhone 6S then turned it back on; walked out to the car, reconnected the car to Bluetooth on my phone, and it worked. Then just for the heck of it, since I read about doing a car reset on this forum, I also did the brake and two button press and reset the system. It continued to go into Drive and Reverse following that.

 

[Pred4me]

PetelCa I sympathize with you.

I have had many issues with my M3 just like you have, and now this new issue car rolls when in Park. On July 6, 2018 at about 7ish pm my car decides to put on its performance of not shifting gear and then going black screen, happen to me another time too. People think Tesla is GOd, and I can’t agree with it with issues with this stressful car, there is no piece of mind, it is autonomous alright, because it does what it wants to do, sometimes unlocks and sometimes doesn’t, it lets you drive if gear decides to shift, otherwise screen goes black and you end up saying “great”. From pickup time door issue, alignment, tire pressure, etc, and brand Tesla don’t care about how their car rolls out, don’t care of safety of customers. The whole experience of dealing with Tesla makes me sick now. Good luck in your ride.

So, the new trick my Model 3 has developed is that it won't shift. Assuming the phone key works, I enter the car. I put on my seat belt and step on the brake. The car starts presumably since the seat position and steering wheel move into place. Then I try to shift into gear (either forward or reverse) and the car shows it is still in park. I sat there, now on 3 occasions in the last 24 hours, for up to a minute before the car would shift. Anyone else having this issue?

I suppose it could be related but sometimes I successfully use the phone key to enter the car but when I press on the brake the car immediately asks for the card to start the car. In those instances after waiting for a while the phone key eventually works. But in those cases it is clear that the car did not start. With my new problem (shifting) the car seems to have clearly started but won't shift.

I have had so many issues with M3

So, the new trick my Model 3 has developed is that it won't shift. Assuming the phone key works, I enter the car. I put on my seat belt and step on the brake. The car starts presumably since the seat position and steering wheel move into place. Then I try to shift into gear (either forward or reverse) and the car shows it is still in park. I sat there, now on 3 occasions in the last 24 hours, for up to a minute before the car would shift. Anyone else having this issue?

I suppose it could be related but sometimes I successfully use the phone key to enter the car but when I press on the brake the car immediately asks for the card to start the car. In those instances after waiting for a while the phone key eventually works. But in those cases it is clear that the car did not start. With my new problem (shifting) the car seems to have clearly started but won't shift.

So, the new trick my Model 3 has developed is that it won't shift. Assuming the phone key works, I enter the car. I put on my seat belt and step on the brake. The car starts presumably since the seat position and steering wheel move into place. Then I try to shift into gear (either forward or reverse) and the car shows it is still in park. I sat there, now on 3 occasions in the last 24 hours, for up to a minute before the car would shift. Anyone else having this issue?

I suppose it could be related but sometimes I successfully use the phone key to enter the car but when I press on the brake the car immediately asks for the card to start the car. In those instances after waiting for a while the phone key eventually works. But in those cases it is clear that the car did not start. With my new problem (shifting) the car seems to have clearly started but won't shift.

I

 

[slipnslider]

So, the new trick my Model 3 has developed is that it won't shift. Assuming the phone key works, I enter the car. I put on my seat belt and step on the brake. The car starts presumably since the seat position and steering wheel move into place. Then I try to shift into gear (either forward or reverse) and the car shows it is still in park. I sat there, now on 3 occasions in the last 24 hours, for up to a minute before the car would shift. Anyone else having this issue?

I suppose it could be related but sometimes I successfully use the phone key to enter the car but when I press on the brake the car immediately asks for the card to start the car. In those instances after waiting for a while the phone key eventually works. But in those cases it is clear that the car did not start. With my new problem (shifting) the car seems to have clearly started but won't shift.

This happened to me just once the day my car was delivered. Really pissed me off. But it hasnt happened since. Knock on wood.

 

[Bigjohn892]

So, the new trick my Model 3 has developed is that it won't shift. Assuming the phone key works, I enter the car. I put on my seat belt and step on the brake. The car starts presumably since the seat position and steering wheel move into place. Then I try to shift into gear (either forward or reverse) and the car shows it is still in park. I sat there, now on 3 occasions in the last 24 hours, for up to a minute before the car would shift. Anyone else having this issue?

I suppose it could be related but sometimes I successfully use the phone key to enter the car but when I press on the brake the car immediately asks for the card to start the car. In those instances after waiting for a while the phone key eventually works. But in those cases it is clear that the car did not start. With my new problem (shifting) the car seems to have clearly started but won't shift.

I was having the Same problem except the car wouldn’t unlock or start. I finally found that if I put my phone in my front pocket it works every time. I guess my butt was blocking the phone’s signal..

 

[Chris350]

Had this issue twice...... When it occurred the 1st time I was confused and got out, locked it up and then re-entered and that worked.... The 2nd time, I just placed the key card in the cup holder and it worked immediately.

 

[warrior15r]

I just noticed the same problem twice in the last 12 hours! I get in car and it won't shift into reverse! Took me a few tries each time before it worked! I just updated to 2017.32.2 3817fdd on Friday 8/24.

Has anyone had to have Tesla do any hardware fixes at this point?

 

[Big Dog]

my M3 (delivered April) just started this nonsense. Doesn't matter if car has been sleeping overnight or I just make a quick stop at SBUX.

Door unlocks, screen lights up, I climb in, radio streams, ac blasting. (so the car knows that I'm there.)

Will not change gears. I push brake harder. Tried reboot, 2x. nada. Have to try shifting into D (or R) several times over the course of a few minutes. Finally it goes into gear.


grrrrrr.

 

[apacheguy]

Sometimes I have to shift into gear a couple times. But it never lasts more than a few seconds.

 

[WhiteMountains]

This happened to me last Saturday for the first time (hopefully only!). No problem using phone to unlock and start up, but would not shift. After trying both drive and reverse for about a minute, it finally let me shift and it has been fine since. I have had my car since early June.

There have been many occasions in the past where it would unlock based on the phone, but require me to use the card to shift out of park. This is a different issue. I am still on version 21.9.

 

[warrior15r]

After experiencing the problem twice in 24 hours last Monday. I restarted my phone and all seems to be fine now. Feels like typical bluetooth issues. Bring on the keyfobs!

 

[kbecks13]

I also have had this problem, but i'm fairly certain its NOT a phone key problem.

Whenever it doesn't let me shift into Forward/Reverse, i try to hit "Remote Start" in the app and it always says "your vehicle is already authenticated to drive" which implies that the phone key is doing it's job. I think it's something deeper within the vehicle.

 

[devilmountain]

I haven't had this issue for about 6 weeks and in the last 12 hours I had the problem twice. In July I called Tesla and the problem went away by the time I got someone on the phone. This morning I rebooted the car three times which did not clear up the issue. I submitted a bug report (three times, kept cutting me off). I called Tesla and noticed that the car went into gear before I was able to get someone on the phone. I needed to get to work and hung up the phone with Tesla.

I am on 2018.32.2

 

[GoneCrazy]

Strange, after never seeing this issue before, it has happened twice in the last week. First time I rebooted the car to success. Second time, reboot didn't fix, so I gambled with the key card, which worked. I'm surprised the message to apply the key card doesn't appear.

 

[devilmountain]

This is happening each time I go into the car. I am troubleshooting the issue and determined that the phone is not authorizing me to drive. I can open the doors but can't get the car into drive. For example, I had the same issue this morning, got into the car but not in gear. I immediately tapped the key card and I was ready to go. I am deleting my phone as a key card and adding it later today to see if that fixes the issue.

 

[AcuraDude]

Any updates on this? I got my car mid Sept and it happened once in the first week, but it's starting to happen 2-3 times per week now. This morning when it wouldn't shift into D/R, I opened the door, shut it, and it worked. I had no trouble getting into the car, the Easy Entry did it's thing, and everything came on like normal. I did not get the key card message so it was ready to go. It just wouldn't go into either gear.

I'm on 2018.36.2.