No Reverse, No Drive, then works after restart(?)
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From: South Texas
2014 GLK350 base model (active) ; 2001 E320 base (retired); 2001 Wrangler soft-top
No Reverse, No Drive, then works after restart(?)
Last Monday (had a VA appt at 8am), opened garage, then got in GLK and started it up. Waited until it idled down , then foot on brake, pushed gear selector to Reverse ... nothing! Tapped my foot on accelerator ... zero movement!
Selected Park. Then selected Reverse... no movement. Selected Park. Then selected Drive ... no movement! First thought was to drive Jeep to appointment.
So, turned off GLK ... then thought "try again" ... after start up, put in Reverse, backed out of garage, then drove to VA clinic. After appt, drove to grocery store, and then back home. No repeat issue that day.
I've spent a couple days researching the problem ... nothing consistent shows up.
Found one YouTube video where the person had the same issue and it turned out that the problem was with faulty wheel speed sensors. Sitting still in his garage, his scanner analyzer showed a wheel speed sensor (LF wheel?) detected a speed of 300kph! So, switching to Reverse would never be allowed. He replaced all 4 speed sensors, problem gone.
Then I've read that the Aux battery might be at fault, but ours is about one year old, though I should check it.
Any thoughts about this problem??
(2014 GLK350 Base model, just replaced main battery recently, no other odd events, have yet to drive again since Monday).
Selected Park. Then selected Reverse... no movement. Selected Park. Then selected Drive ... no movement! First thought was to drive Jeep to appointment.
So, turned off GLK ... then thought "try again" ... after start up, put in Reverse, backed out of garage, then drove to VA clinic. After appt, drove to grocery store, and then back home. No repeat issue that day.
I've spent a couple days researching the problem ... nothing consistent shows up.
Found one YouTube video where the person had the same issue and it turned out that the problem was with faulty wheel speed sensors. Sitting still in his garage, his scanner analyzer showed a wheel speed sensor (LF wheel?) detected a speed of 300kph! So, switching to Reverse would never be allowed. He replaced all 4 speed sensors, problem gone.
Then I've read that the Aux battery might be at fault, but ours is about one year old, though I should check it.
Any thoughts about this problem??
(2014 GLK350 Base model, just replaced main battery recently, no other odd events, have yet to drive again since Monday).
Last edited by calder-cay; Apr 3, 2025 at 09:04 AM.
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Last Monday (had a VA appt at 8am), opened garage, then got in GLK and started it up. Waited until it idled down , then foot on brake, pushed gear selector to Reverse ... nothing! Tapped my foot on accelerator ... zero movement! Selected Park. Then selected Reverse... no movement. Selected Park. Then selected Drive ... no movement! First thought was to drive Jeep to appointment. So, turned off GLK ... then thought "try again" ... after start up, put in Reverse, backed out of garage, then drove to VA clinic. After appt, drove to grocery store, and then back home. No repeat issue that day. I've spent a couple days researching the problem ... nothing consistent shows up. Found one YouTube video where the person had the same issue and it turned out that the problem was with faulty wheel speed sensors. Sitting still in his garage, his scanner analyzer showed a wheel speed sensor (LF wheel?) detected a speed of 300kph! So, switching to Reverse would never be allowed. He replaced all 4 speed sensors, problem gone. Then I've read that the Aux battery might be at fault, but ours is about one year old, though I should check it. Any thoughts about this problem??(2014 GLK350 Base model, just replaced main battery recently, no other odd events, have yet to drive again since Monday).
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From: South Texas
2014 GLK350 base model (active) ; 2001 E320 base (retired); 2001 Wrangler soft-top
Anyway, I found a thread in here - the last Reply has a YouTube link that I'll watch. I'll also post a Reply there to see if OP ( @GLK Super Fan ) ever solved the problem.
https://mbworld.org/forums/glk-class...time-time.html
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Yea, I think @Odd Piggy has mentioned the Aux controls something in the tranny (fluid pump?).
Anyway, I found a thread in here - the last Reply has a YouTube link that I'll watch. I'll also post a Reply there to see if OP ( @GLK Super Fan ) ever solved the problem.
https://mbworld.org/forums/glk-class...time-time.html
Anyway, I found a thread in here - the last Reply has a YouTube link that I'll watch. I'll also post a Reply there to see if OP ( @GLK Super Fan ) ever solved the problem.
https://mbworld.org/forums/glk-class...time-time.html
Aux. battery is for the much-loved engine Stop/Start feature. It does keep tranny pressure up via a pump, as I recall. Other Mercs. without Start/Stop and maybe 1st Gen. GLK can have a smaller Aux. battery hiding behind the dashboard to do other stuff. Not sure what.
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2011 GLK 350 4Matic
That's happened to me a couple times where I was in a hurry and hit the gas before / as I was putting the car in gear. It seems that the TCM just decides to disallow any movement until the car is restarted.
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From: South Texas
2014 GLK350 base model (active) ; 2001 E320 base (retired); 2001 Wrangler soft-top
Yea, I can understand that safety feature. I'm a bit rigorous about placing my foot on the brake pedal before I turn the key to Start, and leave it there until idle down, and I switch to Reverse. Then I gradually release the brake to allow the GLK to reverse under its own power (vs me using gas pedal). As a rule, once I'm in the driveway, I put it in Neutral, because the slope is enough the GLK rolls into the road under its own weight.
Okay, I broke out my Bosch CodeConnect ... switch key to On, then plugged into ODB2 port, and ran some scans. No codes at all.
Heck, I even ran a charging system check, I/M Monitors, DTCs, O2 tests, Diag tests ... all good.
Okay, I broke out my Bosch CodeConnect ... switch key to On, then plugged into ODB2 port, and ran some scans. No codes at all.
Heck, I even ran a charging system check, I/M Monitors, DTCs, O2 tests, Diag tests ... all good.
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E320
Hey calder-cay,
The fact that it works again after a restart is puzzling, but it’s good to see you’re already taking steps to troubleshoot the problem. Since you’ve checked the auxiliary battery, I’d suggest looking into the wheel speed sensors, as mentioned in that YouTube video. Faulty wheel speed sensors can sometimes lead to erratic transmission behavior, including not engaging in drive or reverse. If the sensors are sending incorrect signals, it could be causing the transmission to go into a sort of "limp mode."Additionally, it might be worth checking the transmission fluid level and condition. Low or dirty fluid can lead to shifting issues as well. If everything looks good there, you may want to consider running a diagnostic scan to see if any codes pop up under transmission control unit that could provide more insight into the issue. If you can get your hands on a good scanner, I like youcanic full system scanner, you can also do transmission adpation reset and that may be enough to take care of the issue for you. It doesn't hurt, it simply resets transmission to factory settings.
The fact that it works again after a restart is puzzling, but it’s good to see you’re already taking steps to troubleshoot the problem. Since you’ve checked the auxiliary battery, I’d suggest looking into the wheel speed sensors, as mentioned in that YouTube video. Faulty wheel speed sensors can sometimes lead to erratic transmission behavior, including not engaging in drive or reverse. If the sensors are sending incorrect signals, it could be causing the transmission to go into a sort of "limp mode."Additionally, it might be worth checking the transmission fluid level and condition. Low or dirty fluid can lead to shifting issues as well. If everything looks good there, you may want to consider running a diagnostic scan to see if any codes pop up under transmission control unit that could provide more insight into the issue. If you can get your hands on a good scanner, I like youcanic full system scanner, you can also do transmission adpation reset and that may be enough to take care of the issue for you. It doesn't hurt, it simply resets transmission to factory settings.
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2013 glk 350
Have you checked trans fluid with trans at the proper temperature? That would be my first thing to eliminate. Could an old clogged filter or low fluid cause this ? Is fluid old ? Once I got a free GMC pickup because it would not move , I put in trans fluid and drove it years.
Last edited by Mmr1; Apr 3, 2025 at 04:08 PM.
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From: New Hampsha
'17 GLS450, '14 GLK250, Grandpa's Roadster
This is often caused by a component that doesn't initialize properly on the first attempt. You may be able to catch it if you scan it for faults after the first start. That said, initialization problems are often caused by voltage issues.
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jimyj is a sales pitch. Have a look at any 5 or so of jimyj past posts. You just might notice the artificially personalized robotic responses that, about 80% of the time, happen to mention a certain scanner ;-)
Last edited by MBKLUE; Apr 4, 2025 at 12:42 AM.
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From: South Texas
2014 GLK350 base model (active) ; 2001 E320 base (retired); 2001 Wrangler soft-top
Will take the GLK for a drive tomorrow to see if the issue shows up. Have a 3 hour round trip on Sunday.
I know, the Aux battery has nothing to do (?) with "shifting to Rev/Dr" problems, but I just checked it anyway ... 12.56 volts, so it's fine. (year old Aux?).
I know, the Aux battery has nothing to do (?) with "shifting to Rev/Dr" problems, but I just checked it anyway ... 12.56 volts, so it's fine. (year old Aux?).
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2013 glk 350
Try checking main battery voltage tomorrow before starting driving and what drop it has when cranking . I had a bad alternator regulator at 75000 and a dash cam not going to sleep draining the battery . It’s probably not the issue since battery is new but rule it out. Tomorrow morning battery will be at its lowest voltage.
Last edited by Mmr1; Apr 4, 2025 at 05:35 PM.
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From: New Hampsha
'17 GLS450, '14 GLK250, Grandpa's Roadster
So, I'm guessing they both backup the selector lever module...
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From: Lac Ste. Marie, Quebec
2006 Alfa Romeo Brera, 2010 GLK350, 2018 BMW 640i GT, 1997 Subaru SVX, 2012 Moto Guzzi Norge GT8V
I'm not saying it has anything to do with your issues, but, my GLK doesn't have eco stop/start so it has a tiny aux battery under the dash. When I look it up in EPC I get "Backup selector lever module, below instrument panel 1.2 AH". The larger one is called "Support Battery" but is not applicable to my chassis.
So, I'm guessing they both backup the selector lever module...
So, I'm guessing they both backup the selector lever module...
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From: Ottawa, Ontario
2013 GLK350 Canada
Just providing more background to this issue.
I have had the same issue occasionaly. Couldn't shift from D to R, or to N, or to P after stopping somewhere. Also when shifting out of P to R, or to N, or to D. Occurred a couple of times while doing a 3 point turn (D to R). Had to shut off car and restart, then it shifted to R ok and then R to D to continue driving. Definitely inconvenient while sprawled across a roadway, lol. Obviously, shutting off forces the car out of gear - not sure if that is significant. Don't know how to check the wheel speed sensors, I don't have a good scanner.
2013 GLK350, 303,000 km's (187,000 miles) replaced main battery 1 year ago, replaced aux battery in trunk 2 years ago, no further aux battery warnings.
The funny thing is that I have had no further instances of gear shifting problems since I replaced a worn out (100% failed) alternator at Christmas (shrugs).
I dont know the alternator output voltage before failure. Now, the dash menu voltage drops to about 14.5 Volts after starting, which quickly climbs to 15.0 within about 30 seconds after starting.
Not sure about the brake switch mentioned by others here or the shifter lever but they seem to be working ok.
I have had the same issue occasionaly. Couldn't shift from D to R, or to N, or to P after stopping somewhere. Also when shifting out of P to R, or to N, or to D. Occurred a couple of times while doing a 3 point turn (D to R). Had to shut off car and restart, then it shifted to R ok and then R to D to continue driving. Definitely inconvenient while sprawled across a roadway, lol. Obviously, shutting off forces the car out of gear - not sure if that is significant. Don't know how to check the wheel speed sensors, I don't have a good scanner.
2013 GLK350, 303,000 km's (187,000 miles) replaced main battery 1 year ago, replaced aux battery in trunk 2 years ago, no further aux battery warnings.
The funny thing is that I have had no further instances of gear shifting problems since I replaced a worn out (100% failed) alternator at Christmas (shrugs).
I dont know the alternator output voltage before failure. Now, the dash menu voltage drops to about 14.5 Volts after starting, which quickly climbs to 15.0 within about 30 seconds after starting.
Not sure about the brake switch mentioned by others here or the shifter lever but they seem to be working ok.
Last edited by KanataSteve; Apr 5, 2025 at 01:12 PM.
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From: South Texas
2014 GLK350 base model (active) ; 2001 E320 base (retired); 2001 Wrangler soft-top
- There is a module specifically used when moving the shifter stalk or Park button?
- This module decides if you've moved the stalk to Reverse, Neutral, Drive, etc.
- The Aux battery is a backup battery used to power the "selector module"? (why?)
I'm confused (happens alot with my mushy brain) about the use of the word "backup". If the main battery dies, I doubt the Aux is designed to step in and act as a main battery.
(Yea, we have Start/Stop, and the "big" Aux battery in the rear spare / trunk compartment).
Also, I found this Repy from @MBKLUE in another thread: "A bad or removed aux. battery will have no effect on the functionality of the Park push button on the stalk".
And yes, both of the batteries are fairly new.
Last edited by calder-cay; Apr 5, 2025 at 01:16 PM.
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Used to shift into neutral if the main battery is dead? When I had my main battery out but a good Aux. battery in the trunk, and connected, I pushed every button, moved every switch and lever I could (including shift stalk) but nothing turned on, activated or moved.
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From: New Hampsha
'17 GLS450, '14 GLK250, Grandpa's Roadster
It would be a bummer if it slipped into park at 70 mph because of a glitch in the main battery circuit...
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From: South Texas
2014 GLK350 base model (active) ; 2001 E320 base (retired); 2001 Wrangler soft-top
Well, I just now opened the garage, cranked the GLK, to idle down, backed out of garage onto driveway, then to Neutral, then Park. Waited a minute or so, then into Drive and pulled back into garage, so no glitch yet. I'll do another test early evening, after the storms have passed.
I also discovered a feature I was unaware of. Once I backed into the driveway, I pushed the brake pedal a bit more firm /longer than usual, and I saw a "HOLD" icon light up on the dash. So a "hold brake" for the lazy 👍
I also discovered a feature I was unaware of. Once I backed into the driveway, I pushed the brake pedal a bit more firm /longer than usual, and I saw a "HOLD" icon light up on the dash. So a "hold brake" for the lazy 👍
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Yea, I can understand that safety feature. I'm a bit rigorous about placing my foot on the brake pedal before I turn the key to Start, and leave it there until idle down, and I switch to Reverse. Then I gradually release the brake to allow the GLK to reverse under its own power (vs me using gas pedal). As a rule, once I'm in the driveway, I put it in Neutral, because the slope is enough the GLK rolls into the road under its own weight.
Okay, I broke out my Bosch CodeConnect ... switch key to On, then plugged into ODB2 port, and ran some scans. No codes at all.
Heck, I even ran a charging system check, I/M Monitors, DTCs, O2 tests, Diag tests ... all good.
Okay, I broke out my Bosch CodeConnect ... switch key to On, then plugged into ODB2 port, and ran some scans. No codes at all.
Heck, I even ran a charging system check, I/M Monitors, DTCs, O2 tests, Diag tests ... all good.
I think brake pedal switch has been mentioned... Probably not likely but what if the brake pedal switch had flakey/intermittent/sometimes high resistance operation (the switch contacts or connections) indicating to the "system" that you don't have the brake pedal depressed? Now if shifting works again every time after shutting down and re-starting the engine then that would pretty much eliminate the brake pedal switch or connections to it.
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:-( No Operator's Manual or never got around to reading it? Page 184.
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From: South Texas
2014 GLK350 base model (active) ; 2001 E320 base (retired); 2001 Wrangler soft-top
MBWorld Fanatic!
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From: New Hampsha
'17 GLS450, '14 GLK250, Grandpa's Roadster
[Edit] Maybe this explains the guy who couldn't get "Hold" to engage: Maybe he has your manual...
Last edited by John CC; Apr 5, 2025 at 08:30 PM.
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so it's actually for the 1st Generation model and you have the face-lift model? You should be able to find a 2014 GLK Operator's Manual on ebay if you want to have a physical copy. I bought and keep a spare in the house for easy reference. Okay... maybe over-kill, but...
Last edited by MBKLUE; Apr 6, 2025 at 12:48 AM.
