Car Starts But Won’t Move When in Drive

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There can be a few reasons that a car starts but wont move when in drive.  We’ll cover a few of the most common ones with you, to help you get back on the road.

Car will start but won't move in drive

Low Transmission Fluid

Low transmission fluid can cause a car to not move in drive.  Transmission fluid is more than just a fluid that keeps the parts of the transmission lubricated.  It also provides the hydraulic pressure that moves the energy through the case.

Without it, the torque converter can’t change the physical energy from the engine to the input shaft.  Think of it like the blood that flows through a human body.  It’s that important.

So, if you find yourself in a situation where the car won’t move in drive (or any gear for that matter), the number one place that you should begin your search is by checking the transmission fluid level.

More on that:  Low Transmission Fluid Signs

Broken Axle or Driveshaft

Another that can cause the car not to move when in drive is a broken axle or driveshaft.  If the axle has come off at the transmission, you won’t hear a banging sound when in gear.  If it is broken closer to the driving wheel, you should hear a loud banging sound as it turns and beats against your under carriage.

If you don’t hear a loud banging sound, it’s more difficult to diagnose a bad C/V shaft due to the difficulty in eyeballing it all at once..  If the car was going along fine and all of a sudden it just stopped moving that’s a pretty good indication that you may indeed have a bad axle shaft.

It is not very difficult to spot one with a simple visual inspection, especially with rear wheel drive vehicles.

More on that:  CV Joint Noise + Symptoms

Bad Shift Linkage

If the car starts but just won’t move in drive, it is entirely possible that the shift linkage is bad.  This is relatively common thing to go wrong.  Typically, a good way to tell if the linkage is bad is to feel the weight of the shifter.  If it feels like it moves to easy or freely it is likely that the linkage has come detached either at the column, console, or transmission itself.
If the linkage is bad the vehicle shouldn’t move in any gear.  The exception to that would be if it does go into reverse, but it doesn’t go into reverse at the right spot in the shift gate.  If it is going into reverse, but at the wrong spot, it’s an indication of a damaged (but not all the way broken) shift linkage.

Transmission Failure

There are many moving parts inside of an automatic transmission.  It could be very likely the transmission itself has failed in some terminal way.  A good indication that this is the case is if you were to put it into reverse and it works fine.  There’s a lot that could cause that particular condition.  It could be a bad solenoid, valve body, clutch packs or more.  You may wish to take it to a reputable transmission shop and have a look.  Whatever is ailing your transmission, good luck fixing it!