cannot shift out of park. cold weather/battery issue?
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 356
Likes: 33
From: NYC
glk
cannot shift out of park. cold weather/battery issue?
Found some older posts with similar problem but no conclusions.
Twice this month I've been unable to shift out of park. Weather was around 15-20F
My battery is definitely on the older side (8 years). i suspect the car is detecting a weak battery and wont shift until the alternator charges the battery for 20mins?
- car starts but won't shift out of park. I had to idle it for 20 mins and then restart until it finally shifted
- windows, lights etc still work
- brake lights still work
Twice this month I've been unable to shift out of park. Weather was around 15-20F
My battery is definitely on the older side (8 years). i suspect the car is detecting a weak battery and wont shift until the alternator charges the battery for 20mins?
- car starts but won't shift out of park. I had to idle it for 20 mins and then restart until it finally shifted
- windows, lights etc still work
- brake lights still work
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jun 2021
Posts: 1,928
Likes: 523
From: New Hampsha
'17 GLS450, '14 GLK250, Grandpa's Roadster
More likely something in the safety or locking mechanism is hanging ("freezing") up. My battery was weak and it wouldn't start at -15F, but at -5 it was crank it up and go. Even at -15, as soon as I jumped it, everything worked.
Junior Member
Joined: Nov 2021
Posts: 56
Likes: 16
From: Quebec
GLK250
Take a look at this video, might lead you to something. X30/21 Drive train can voltage distributor might be defective. Don't know were it is in our x204 model but in this video, it is in the passenger side. Seems to be a common problem for Mercedes. Hope this help.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Sep 2015
Posts: 2,585
Likes: 343
2013 glk 350
“My battery is on the older side” no your battery is barely alive , keeping an 8 year old battery isn’t smart. Your just asking for trouble. Low voltage can also damage electronics. a new AGM battery is a good idea.
Last edited by Mmr1; Feb 2, 2022 at 12:47 PM.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 2,349
Likes: 693
2021 GLB250 FWD, 2023 GLA250 FWD, 2013 C250, 2015 GLK350, 2005 ML350SE, 2003 E320
Found some older posts with similar problem but no conclusions.
Twice this month I've been unable to shift out of park. Weather was around 15-20F
My battery is definitely on the older side (8 years). i suspect the car is detecting a weak battery and wont shift until the alternator charges the battery for 20mins?
- car starts but won't shift out of park. I had to idle it for 20 mins and then restart until it finally shifted
- windows, lights etc still work
- brake lights still work
Twice this month I've been unable to shift out of park. Weather was around 15-20F
My battery is definitely on the older side (8 years). i suspect the car is detecting a weak battery and wont shift until the alternator charges the battery for 20mins?
- car starts but won't shift out of park. I had to idle it for 20 mins and then restart until it finally shifted
- windows, lights etc still work
- brake lights still work
