Transmission drops out of gear

[slogans7]

Hi guys, I'm new to this forum but hope you can share any info you may have on this problem. I've read a lot of threads on the transmission sticking, and I do have that problem on my wife's 2000 E320 Wagon. And yes, she had spilled coffee into the gearshift mechanism, which we had to have fixed about 3 months ago. But the problem has returned - it stays in 1st or 2nd when cold - but now it's getting worse and occasionally seems to slip into neutral while being driven. Very scary. I've had some success manually slipping it into neutral, revving the engine, and then dropping it back into "D." Before taking it in for what could be another expensive fix, I thought I'd ask if anyone has had the same problem and knows of a fix. Thanks in advance.

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[nevillebsug]

Same issue on my 99 E320. First, check the fluid level & status. There are two reasons for the trans slipping into neutral1) if there is a serious issue internally, the computer will throw a code and go to neutral to prevent any more damage.(2) if there is no code, it is a mechanical issue such as a bad neutral switch or control box.
The latter is about $100 to fix. Otherwise you are SOL.

[slogans7]

Wound up having this repaired the next day. Transmission fluid was low, and something in the transmission has shorted out. Cost a lot more than $200 to fix, unfortunately.