Transmission Stuck in 1st Gear?

[Philly Steak Kid]

Has this happened to anyone?
I have a 2007 S550.
Tonight on the way home from work, the car started with no problem but it seemed like the torque converted went south...lagging start with the car finally moving forward (hesitatingly) with the tach @ 3,000 rpm.

So I pull over and shut it down, restart and when I put it in gear I feel a lurch as the transmission engages. The Check Engine symbol is now lit and the car rolls out normally except that it won't shift into 2nd gear or any other forward gear for that matter. Its as though the transmission is stuck in some emergency-default mode.

Has anyone had a similar incident?

Thanks,

PSK

[Diesel Benz]

Sounds like the car went to limp-home-mode. How much does it have on the clock? Since the check engine light is on, it might not be tranny related. Have the codes read with star.

[Philly Steak Kid]

Thank you for your input.
I took it to the dealer. Turns out some valves were sticking in the transmission valve body assembly and the transmission's electronic brain was throwing the transmission into a default safety mode.
Warranties are wondwrful things.

[The Workshop MB]

Originally Posted by Philly Steak Kid

Has this happened to anyone?
I have a 2007 S550.
Tonight on the way home from work, the car started with no problem but it seemed like the torque converted went south...lagging start with the car finally moving forward (hesitatingly) with the tach @ 3,000 rpm.

So I pull over and shut it down, restart and when I put it in gear I feel a lurch as the transmission engages. The Check Engine symbol is now lit and the car rolls out normally except that it won't shift into 2nd gear or any other forward gear for that matter. Its as though the transmission is stuck in some emergency-default mode.

Has anyone had a similar incident?

Thanks,

PSK

This boggles my mind... Why do people post and ask about problems on their car when it is still fresh and new and covered under the factory warranty??

If it is under warranty, I just take it in and tell them what is going on. Now I understand if the same concern keeps happening over and over and over, then It is time to seek other help.

But if is the first incident, let them handle it.

Just a statement...

Happy Benzing!!!

[Diesel Benz]

Originally Posted by The Workshop MB

This boggles my mind... Why do people post and ask about problems on their car when it is still fresh and new and covered under the factory warranty??

If it is under warranty, I just take it in and tell them what is going on. Now I understand if the same concern keeps happening over and over and over, then It is time to seek other help.

But if is the first incident, let them handle it.

Just a statement...

Happy Benzing!!!

I have been wondering the same sometimes. I've understood one issue being the very long distance to a dealer, from some US locations and owners prefer to try a DIY fix if it was easy.

On the other hand, even if the car was covered by warranty, at the same age the car probably would not have warranty in Europe and the ROW, then it is very useful for us to learn about the issues that were fixed for free by the dealer. Unfortunately many of us would like to have you unemployed as far as possible.

[Philly Steak Kid]

Originally Posted by The Workshop MB

This boggles my mind... Why do people post and ask about problems on their car when it is still fresh and new and covered under the factory warranty??

If it is under warranty, I just take it in and tell them what is going on. Now I understand if the same concern keeps happening over and over and over, then It is time to seek other help.

But if is the first incident, let them handle it.

Just a statement...

Happy Benzing!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


You may recall that the question in the thread's original post was;

"Has this happened to anyone?"

This question was followed by a brief description of the issue.

Re-reading the post I fail to see where I asked anyone for any mechanical expertise... I merely asked if this has happened to anyone else.

It happend that the dealer recognized that the car was still under warranty and they furnished a loaner whilst they replaced the transmission's electronic valve body.



For your elucidation:

The rationale for asking such a question even if the car is under warranty is this:

• to determine if the issue is unique or common
• to alert other people that may have similar vehicles of the issue
• to advise other board members of the problem's diagnosis
• to advise other board members of the problem's resolution

Aside from providing an outlet for many to show-off their rides and to varying degrees engage in "Mine is Bigger" flame fests, a principal benefit of a message board is to educate other owners of similar vehicles. Coming from owning 4 BMW sedans (three 7-Series & one 3-Series) one of the things the BMW Community has is its On-Line Communities which are densely populated and very diverse in scope. I had hoped to find the Mercedes Benz had a similarly extensive on-line community rather than the limited resource it has turned out to be.

No matter though, the S550 is the finest sedan I have ever driven.

[konigstiger]

Originally Posted by Philly Steak Kid

Coming from owning 4 BMW sedans (three 7-Series & one 3-Series) one of the things the BMW Community has is its On-Line Communities which are densely populated and very diverse in scope. I had hoped to find the Mercedes Benz had a similarly extensive on-line community rather than the limited resource it has turned out to be.

You may also want to visit New S-Class (W221) - MBWorld.org Forums

[The Workshop MB]

Originally Posted by Diesel Benz

..... Unfortunately many of us would like to have you unemployed as far as possible.

Yes I understand, and whatever field you work in, there is a DIY crowd that wishes the same for you...

Point well taken...

Happy Benzing!!!

[HarryS]

I have an S 430 2004, and it happened two times with my car, first time at 35k miles and second 70k miles, lucky I have the extended warranty. But we have to be careful with the extended warranty ,even also from Mercedes Benz, dealer treated the warranty differently. On extended W if problem is intermittent and does not occur during inspection then dealers (some may not) will charge us for inspection. This problem may reset itself when engine turn off, so I drove the car directly to dealer and keep engine running until their mechanic checked the problem and witness it. At least in my case this is a defect design or something, what will happen when occur after warranty is over ?

[Armadillo888]

It is quite essential to post a problem and solution to this forum. That may help others. No matter if the car is under warranty or not. And sometimes dealers don't know and you can suggest a solution and save time (week or so with a loaner..)