Has this (stuck in P) happened in your smart and what did you do about it!

[carolthompson323]

Having driven about 100 miles yesterday through canyons, I was driving home and noticed that my EPS icon light was on as well as my ABS light. After a few blocks I pulled into a residential neighborhood to check my manual. Told me I should take it into the dealer. I turned the car off, waited a minute, then turned it on again. Same thing. Also tried to shift it -- gearshift stuck in "park". After a few minutes, I turned the key on again, and the both warning lights went off. Couple of miles later, same thing happened again. Went through the same motions. Hasn't happened since. Anyone else had similar problem?

[SuperGeek]

Sounds like your computer's detected a problem. Call the dealer, they can scan your codes and see what's up. If you're far from the dealer, any Autozone type shop can scan the codes and you can call the dealer with that info to determine if it's a safety issue.

Basic things that could cause a 'false reading' include low tire pressure (but your warning light for that should turn on), and low battery... you could have enough to run the spark plugs but not enough to feed all the electronics. If your battery was good enough to start and go 20 miles but tests bad afterwards, your alternator may be failing.

The ESP icon should only flash for a little while and only when it loses traction. The ABS light should never come on... that indicates a safety fault. You may have to slam on the brakes and find out the ABS system's not responding like it should... and in this car, you want all the safety systems working unless you're racing on a track.

[jwight]

Another Golden Oldie thread; try here for more info: Stuck in park abs and solid ! light

[carolthompson323]

Thanks to both of you. Appreciate the help!

[carolthompson323]

Took 2009 cabrio into dealer Tuesday night - fixed yesterday. Problem was with a faulty relay switch.

Wanted to let everyone know in case it should happen to you.

[tina43]

Stomp really hard on the brake pedal. That will re-engage the transmission so you can get out of park. Might take a couple of stomps but always does the trick (push down hard!). This happened to me on and off for a few months and haven't had a problem since. I think it's a computer glitch.

[chieftmc]

[astuto]

For the third time I could not get my car in R Tuesday. The first time was under warrenty and almost 4 years ago. The second time was last fall. That time, after going back and forth between P and N I tried pushing it over to D1 and that worked. Unfortunately. that meant driving over my friend's lawn but I was able to leave. Tuesday, nothing seemed to work. I used to have this problem with my subaru in the 80's getting it out of P. I found that pushing it in reverse got it out of P. So this last time I pushed the car out of the parking space and was able to get it into D. No problem since.

[chieftmc]

Originally Posted by astuto

For the third time I could not get my car in R Tuesday. The first time was under warrenty and almost 4 years ago. The second time was last fall. That time, after going back and forth between P and N I tried pushing it over to D1 and that worked. Unfortunately. that meant driving over my friend's lawn but I was able to leave. Tuesday, nothing seemed to work. I used to have this problem with my subaru in the 80's getting it out of P. I found that pushing it in reverse got it out of P. So this last time I pushed the car out of the parking space and was able to get it into D. No problem since.

Might want to do this

smart fortwo Shifter Lubrication - YouTube

smart fortwo Shifter Lubrication - YouTube

If you can't get it out of P, try this:

Gear Knob Button STUCK!!

[astuto]

My problem isn't getting it out of P, it's getting it into another gear other than N. I can get all the gears when the electricity is on, but the engine isn't. It happened again today. Starting the car in N I was able to shift into R.