Transmission not in Park WTH!?!?!

Has anyone had this happen? Start the 18 with a10. Put in reverse. Back up a few feet and the car shuts down. No warning. Nothing. Car shuts off and a warning message appeared on the dash “transmission not in park.”

Put the car in park. It started no problem and reversed fine and has driven with no issues since.

This happened to my son yesterday.

Thoughts?

No need to blame the kiddo either. He has been turning wrenches with me on our cars since a little guy. 22 now and knows cars. He called me right when it happened to see if it had done it with me driving.

There is or was actually a recall for the 2018 A10 that affected a small build quantity because there is a defective OR missing roll pin for the trans selector that affects the “park” function.

This is an entirely separate recall from early 2018’s that had a similar issue if equipped with the digital dash.

The malfunctioning or missing pin could allow the vehicle to roll if driver thinks it’s in park and could have other functional issues as well (most likely what your son is experiencing).

EDIT:
Here ya go: https://ford.oemdtc.com/3585/safety...up-roll-pin-inspection-2017-2018-ford-lincoln

Contact the Ford Service Center and get it in to be looked at for sure.

DrGrabster said:

There are software updates for at least 4 of the modules on my '18, one is for the gearbox. It might be a bug?

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I’ve asked in the TSB/Issues sub forum on here is there are any TSB, SSM or GSB’s on the 2018 Mustang A10... do you have actual info about the “gear box” update you have referenced?

I don't have an answer as to why the car stalled however, the warning message is appropriate in a Captain Obvious way. The car is not running and is in a gear other than park hence the message.

webelevy said:

I don't have an answer as to why the car stalled however, the warning message is appropriate in a Captain Obvious way. The car is not running and is in a gear other than park hence the message.

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Yes. That is a very accurate statement. The message was obviously a result of the car turning off while in gear (R). The message was not a cause or any indication as to why the car shut down.

"Transmission not in park" is a common warning anytime the engine is not running, and the car is not in park, but the system is energized. I would not worry about that warning, it is normal in the case you described.

I would worry about the engine shutting off in low speed operation though!

RIBS said:

"Transmission not in park" is a common warning anytime the engine is not running, and the car is not in park, but the system is energized. I would not worry about that warning, it is normal in the case you described.

I would worry about the engine shutting off in low speed operation though!

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No worries about the warning. I did want to know if anyone had the car shut off for no apparent reason though.

Thanks

I haven't heard of that happening on the other Mustang forums I frequent Kid. I may just fall under the category "Just one of them things", and may not happen again. Of course that's just a SWAG, and I hope it's nothing serious. Good luck.

Houston Kid said:

Yes. That is a very accurate statement. The message was obviously a result of the car turning off while in gear (R). The message was not a cause or any indication as to why the car shut down.

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Did you ever solve the issue?

This happened to me yesterday morning...I was on cruise control set at 72 on the highway and the car suddenly lost power, I looked at the gauge cluster and it just said "Transmission Not in Park". I put the hazards on and started slowing down(It was an oh shit moment, next to a semi and all 4 sides of me were completely blocked), the car was still in drive, as I was coasting in gear, I thought maybe I should try hit the Start button, as soon as I hit the Start button the engine started right backup and everything was normal again...WTH

What was the resolution for this? I did a shift knob mod for my A10; now seems to act like it’s not in park after I shut off vehicle.

FJG_pending said:

What was the resolution for this? I did a shift knob mod for my A10; now seems to act like it’s not in park after I shut off vehicle.

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Did you ever get a fix for this? I installed my sr shift knob last month and my park is not registering even though it is in park. Chime going off every time I open the door is driving me crazy and no more remote start. Flashed a tune, disconnected battery, cable looked fine, installed stock shifter back on, nothing fixed it.

Car never did it again so no need to seek a diagnosis. No help on a cause.

Owlcity916 said:

Did you ever get a fix for this? I installed my sr shift knob last month and my park is not registering even though it is in park. Chime going off every time I open the door is driving me crazy and no more remote start. Flashed a tune, disconnected battery, cable looked fine, installed stock shifter back on, nothing fixed it.

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Make sure the trigger mechanism on the shift knob that you installed is completely releasing when you place the vehicle in park. You can put the car in park, and it actually go into the gear, but the internals of the trigger mechanism resting ever so slightly on the top of the actual shift lever start to engage the lockout mechanism. It takes very little pressure on the top of the shift lever to ever so slightly engage the lockout mechanism, which will make the car think it's not in gear.

Thanks for the advice. I’m going to it back to my buddies house and reinstall it again. Hopefully we can get it fixed. Downpipe, exhaust, intercooler, etc no issues when installing. 5 minute shifter swap and the car goes crazy lol.