We sometimes have a delay shifting from reverse to drive (e.g. after backing out of the garage and then shifting to D to leave). The delay is not always there. About 2 months ago we had a 60K service at the dealer including a flush of the transmission system. This helped, but we still have the delay sometimes. I spoke with the dealer today and he said it could be the “limp lock” feature where if you shift to D and have your foot on the brake there is an automatic delay of 1.5 sec before you have D power. I’m going to “play” with this to see if it makes sense. Has anyone heard of “limp lock” (sound terrible!) or had delays like these?
You might make note of when this problem occurs. If it is occuring only with the first shift in the morning when the transmission is cold and goes away once the car warms up, check the fluid level with the fluid warm ~ 10 miles driven; fill to the level right at the upper mark; and see if the problem abates. If the problem still persists, you may have a lazy seal problem in one of the transmission clutch pistons. A transmission specialist is not going to be able to diagnosis the problem further unless it happens while he has gauges connected.