# Car Accident, Gears Won't Shift **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [November 8, 2008, 9:04pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-accident-gears-wont-shift/21846 "2008-11-08T21:04:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![James86](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b5ac83/32.png) [@James86](https://community.cartalk.com/u/James86)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2008, 9:04pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-accident-gears-wont-shift/21846/1 "2008-11-08T21:04:05Z")
I have a 2002 Acura RSX with a 5-speed manual transmission. I had never been in a car accident before, and yesterday I wasn’t paying attention and rear-ended someone. I haven’t been able to talk to the insurance company yet, but the damage looks pretty extensive (the car is hit was an SUV…). Anyway, my main concern is that the gears won’t shift - it’s stuck somewhere between third gear and neutral. Could the shift linkage be binding on something? Is it possible that somehow the clutch is not disengaged? The latter case does not seem possible. Would this problem definitely indicate serious internal damage to the car? ---
**Author:** ![James86](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b5ac83/32.png) [@James86](https://community.cartalk.com/u/James86)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2008, 9:08pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-accident-gears-wont-shift/21846/2 "2008-11-08T21:08:34Z")
Meant, “The car [I] hit” ---
**Author:** ![oldschool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e19adc/32.png) [@oldschool](https://community.cartalk.com/u/oldschool)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2008, 9:30pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-accident-gears-wont-shift/21846/3 "2008-11-08T21:30:23Z")
If you are asking if your cars transmission is not seriously damaged,a quality answer cannot be given, it needs a inspection. Now the question “is my stuck gear shift related to my clutch being engaged” I am comfortable telling you no. ---
**Author:** ![mcparadise](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mcparadise/32/32_2.png) [@mcparadise](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mcparadise)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2008, 9:51pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-accident-gears-wont-shift/21846/4 "2008-11-08T21:51:52Z")
The shift linkage may have been damaged in the crash. Since the major mechanical components of the car are all in the front, there is potential for significant damage, but only an inspection can determine the true extent. ---
**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2008, 10:12pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-accident-gears-wont-shift/21846/5 "2008-11-08T22:12:25Z")
When the front end collapsed, it may have damaged the transmission. In your case, as the engine moved back, it put a lateral force on the transmission (it’s on the side (left?) not under the fire wall). Misalignment could certainly cause your problem. Call your insurer quickly and be straight with them. That’s always worked for me. ---
**Author:** ![ok4450](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ok4450](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ok4450)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2008, 5:12am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-accident-gears-wont-shift/21846/6 "2008-11-09T05:12:52Z")
Without physically seeing the car I’ll only say that it’s quite possible to suffer an internal transmission problem due to a collision. The last one I saw with a problem due to a collision involved a very low miles Subaru transmission that came out of a total wreck. The transmission looked as new but after shifting it a couple of times it locked up solid between reverse and neutral. After disassembly the problem was traced to some bent shifter rails.