Comments on: VW Stuck in Park

By: Alex

Alex — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 21:11:56 +0000

I had this problem on a 1999 Golf V5 however this solution didn’t work. I phoned a mechanic, who said this:

1) Turn off ignition
2) Turn key part way but don’t start the car. With some combination of wiggling the gearstick and turning the key without starting the engine, you can move the stick.
3) Hold the stick halfway between neutral and drive. You have to balance it between the two positions holding it, it’s a bit tricky
4) You should now be able to start the car and move into drive fully.

This will get you home but if it’s the brake light switch you probably won’t have working break lights, so don’t brake suddenly!

By: Stu

Stu — Fri, 28 May 2010 10:10:36 +0000

I’ve just had the same problem; it’s caused by the brake pedal switch. This switch can be adjusted so that it works properly. Worst possible case is that the switch would need to be replaced. Fortunately all I had to do was adjust the switch’s plunger.

By: Mark

Mark — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 03:53:19 +0000

Glad I could help!

By: Shaun

Shaun — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 23:11:06 +0000

This worked, sounds ridiculous but worked for me

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 22:35:57 +0000

I had this same problem happen to me over 2 years ago and this morning. The above steps work because I called roadside assistance and they had me follow those steps again. I am taking the car to get looked at.

By: cindy

cindy — Mon, 31 Jul 2006 13:31:37 +0000

I had the same issue. I'm trying to figure out how to install the part now. Stuck too

By: Mark

Mark — Wed, 05 Jul 2006 18:08:01 +0000

I hope it helps your friend out.

By: jr

jr — Wed, 05 Jul 2006 08:39:42 +0000

I’m going to tell my friend about that