1999 Jeep Cherokee Transmission Comes Out of Gear Sometimes

Reader Question Hello, I have a question about my Transmission for my 1999 Jeep
Cherokee LIMITED 4-door. I was dropping a friend off at the airport
yesterday and thought I had put the vehicle in PARK. BUT, I did not.
As I got out of the car, the vehicle continued to move forward at less than 5 mph and I panicked and put the car in reverse WITHOUT putting my foot on the brake first. Of course, the vehicle continued to move forward and while it did so, the transmission made a rapid clicking sound, like a playing card attached to the spokes on a bicycle, it was pretty scary.

So I finally put my foot on the brake and everything was well. So, my question is, did I hurt the transmission by not putting the car in park first and trying to go into reverse when I am in DRIVE while it is still moving??? After that incident, I drove it home and drove to work today and everything seemed to be fine. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary….

Thanks for your time.

Adam

Hey Adam,

Thanks for getting the insurance quote. I don’t think you did any damage to your transmission…I have seen this happen a few times before…just a fluke kinda thing. BUT if this happens again, I would have your mechanic inspect the linkage at the transmission . there is some adjustment that can be made on the outside of the transmission and the linkage could have become loose over time and need to be tightened back up.

If this is the case, I would expect to see the shift indicator (the little orange needle telling you which gear you are in) to not to totally centered on the drive letter, and I would expect there to be some “play” in the shifter linkage inside the vehicle as well.

If you notice either of those happening….I would have your mechanic inspect the linkage, you don’t want the vehicle to roll away from you one day thinking you have it in park….I have seen that happen a few times as well.

Have a great day.

Blessings,

Austin Davis