# What just happened? Could not shift out of 1st gear

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/what-just-happened-could-not-shift-out-of-1st-gear/18848>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Created:** [August 30, 2008, 12:05am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/what-just-happened-could-not-shift-out-of-1st-gear/18848 "2008-08-30T00:05:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![98Passat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/9/c89c15/32.png) [@98Passat](https://community.cartalk.com/u/98Passat)\
**Post date:** [August 30, 2008, 12:05am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/what-just-happened-could-not-shift-out-of-1st-gear/18848/1 "2008-08-30T00:05:03Z")

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My 98 Passat (82K miles) did the strangest thing today. I left a parking spot and the automatic tranny would not shift from first gear. I tried switching to the manual setting, but it wouldn’t shift out of first from that either. Eventually, with some frantic back-and-forth shifting in manual mode, it did go to second, and from there on the tranny has been working normally, including in automatic mode.  
  
  
  
 The only unusual thing I did before this episode was to park in an awkward spot, so I had to do some back-and-forth from reverse to drive.  
  
  
  
 Any ideas what just happened? Is this just annoying, or should I be worried? If I should be worried, should I be worried to the tune of hundreds, or thousands of dollars?  
  
  
  
 Thanks!