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shift to p then desired gear

dutchman187

dutchman187

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Driving home from Walgreens tonight in town and I hear my engine rev while I go around a corner. I look down and the screen says "shift to p then desired gear." I had to actually come to a stop, switch to P, and then back to D. It went right into D and I drove the next minute home without issue.

I did a search and found other Dodge complaints on this, but no real common solution.

Only other background is my battery got sucked completely dry two days ago by sitting for a few days in the negative cold weather we are having in Iowa. I recharged the battery and it was fine yesterday and this morning.

Any idea what the heck this is? I just crossed 21K and this is a first
 
I went to a car wash today, one of those with the conveyor that pulls you through while the vehicle is in neutral. My dash keep saying same thing the entire time. Maybe somehow you accidentally shifted into neutral while driving
 
I had that happen to me twice in the 2 1/2 years that I have owned my truck. Both times it happened when I was going to lunch from work. I believe that I just switched gears too quickly and maybe did not fully engage the selector. It did it at the same place each time when I was stopping for a light and then started going again.
 
Were you moving at the time? That's what worries me the most. Dangerous if driving and it just locks up like that. Wont always be able to safely coast/brake to a stop and renegage. I was turning a corner at the time, on snow. Not ideal to lose power to my wheels.

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dutchman187 said:
Were you moving at the time? That's what worries me the most. Dangerous if driving and it just locks up like that. Wont always be able to safely coast/brake to a stop and renegage. I was turning a corner at the time, on snow. Not ideal to lose power to my wheels.

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When I read your situation, I didn't imagine it locking up, I thought engine was disconnected from driveline, which is Neutral, to me. I'm sure its not ideal, but shifting from Neutral to Drive while moving (forward) can be done, right?
 
dutchman187 said:
Were you moving at the time? That's what worries me the most. Dangerous if driving and it just locks up like that. Wont always be able to safely coast/brake to a stop and renegage. I was turning a corner at the time, on snow. Not ideal to lose power to my wheels.

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That shouldn’t happen . I would let the dealer have a look at it because it might be just a ground connection that caused it .
 
Fatherof3 said:
That shouldn’t happen . I would let the dealer have a look at it because it might be just a ground connection that caused it .
Click to expand...

Appt on Monday. The service advisor certainly sounded concerned. I've good luck and service from this place, so I'm cautiously optimistic that continues.
 
eTorqueCoasting said:
When I read your situation, I didn't imagine it locking up, I thought engine was disconnected from driveline, which is Neutral, to me. I'm sure its not ideal, but shifting from Neutral to Drive while moving (forward) can be done, right?
Click to expand...
What I meant was I had it in 4WD auto at the time, and if it shifted to neutral, I would lose the additional power to the wheels helping it steer on snow while I was turning that corner. That's how I understand it at least, but I could be wrong. The indicator still read "D". I didn't try to shift it to neutral and then back to D while still moving, but perhaps that would have worked? In any event, I'll update what they find out on Monday.
 
Dealer said battery was bad and when the voltage gets low enough the computer shuts the transmission down (something to that effect). They replaced battery under warranty. I'm still shocked that a dying battery means it might take you out of drive into neutral while driving...seems like a massive safety concern

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dutchman187 said:
Dealer said battery was bad and when the voltage gets low enough the computer shuts the transmission down (something to that effect). They replaced battery under warranty. I'm still shocked that a dying battery means it might take you out of drive into neutral while driving...seems like a massive safety concern

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My Ram would not come out of first gear, after sitting for an hour or so it was OK again. The dealership replaced the battery and I have not had any problem since.
 
Hi, based on this thread what should the battery levels be? I have the guage set up with battery power. While driving, the indicator is a little over 1/2. When in ACC mode, begins at just slightly over 1/4.
Is this normal? Thanks!
 
dutchman187 said:
Dealer said battery was bad and when the voltage gets low enough the computer shuts the transmission down (something to that effect). They replaced battery under warranty. I'm still shocked that a dying battery means it might take you out of drive into neutral while driving...seems like a massive safety concern

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Hi dutchman,

I am from the Netherlands and new here (so I am a ‘Dutchman’ 😉)
any update on your issue? I am having the same here....

thanks
 
Orange-devil said:
Hi dutchman,

I am from the Netherlands and new here (so I am a ‘Dutchman’ 😉)
any update on your issue? I am having the same here....

thanks
Click to expand...

Hi there! Well you are much more a Dutchman than I then. :) Family history traces to Friesland.

The dealer replaced my battery and I haven't had any issues at all since. I went out and bought a good battery tester to keep on hand and periodically test it during winter months particularly from now on. It still seems like an incredible safety concern if that is really how the computer treats the transmission with a dying battery. And don't get me wrong, I love my truck. But dead and dying batteries are pretty common. You can't have a known issue that shifts someone to neutral while they are actively driving (aka, not at a stop or anything).
 
Thanks for your reply, fellow Dutchman! I am from Groningen.
I had good hope the battery would solve my issue also after finding out that voltage dropped well below 12.5V (11.4V) due a lot of short rides lately. I fully recharged the battery and had it tested if still ok, which should be the case.
After only one (even long) drive I had the same issue again yesterday. I really hate the issue..... Also I have the feeling this is a real safety issue. Once I already ended up at the middle of a crossing with a trailer behind the truck.... luckily I could get it moving again in time...
I will keep an eye on the battery but have doubt if it is causing the issue afterall.
One additional thing I noticed is that the transmission shifts down way too late. Gives about the same sensation when driving a car with manual gears and try to slow down to stop in 4th gear...and then forget to engage the clutch
Did you notice same?
 
Who tested the battery and said it was good? I had two auto parts stores test it and say good. Dealer did the full testing someone else recommended in this thread and confirmed it was bad. What did your dealer say?

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dutchman187 said:
Who tested the battery and said it was good? I had two auto parts stores test it and say good. Dealer did the full testing someone else recommended in this thread and confirmed it was bad. What did your dealer say?

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Battery was tested the same way you had it tested at first I guess; was a quick test. I’ll find a place to have it tested again the right way. We don’t have many real RAM dealers around here. I’ll keep you updated.
You didn’t notice the strange down shifting like I describe?
 
Orange-devil said:
Battery was tested the same way you had it tested at first I guess; was a quick test. I’ll find a place to have it tested again the right way. We don’t have many real RAM dealers around here. I’ll keep you updated.
You didn’t notice the strange down shifting like I describe?
Click to expand...
No, I did not have any strange downshifting. Quite possible you have an entirely different problem. Hopefully they figure it out for you soon.

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Ok, thanks. I’ll see if I can get one over here. If it’s recommended here it must be a good one!
 
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