On an American car it is called a transmission range sensor. It sits atop the linkage on top of the tranny and tells the computer what gear the transmission is in. I believe that is the problem here.

Symptom: intermittently when the car is cold the display will not show what gear the tranny is in. It is not the display bc if I drive the car it will not come out of 1st. It does not set off a SES light either. Only happens when car is cold if I sit with ign in position 2 and shift some it will cone back on.

By your experiences; can this sensor be cleaned, adjusted, re-synchronized, re-calibrated or is replacement the only option?

 

On these cars the electronic shifter lets the cluster know which gear you are in. when the display doesn't show your gear it is usually because the shifter is failing and the cluster isn't getting an input from the shifter. The shifter may need to be replaced and that is why your vehicle goes into limp home mode where you can't get out of first.