Hi Everyone,

I am calling out to anyone who can give me a little guidance on what to do. I have a 2001 Volkswagen Jetta. This afternoon I was driving, had stopped at a red light, tried to shift into 1st gear to drive forward and my car was in reverse. Then I could not get it to shift into gear to go forward. I "forced" it into gear ( I know that isn't good, but I panicked!! ) I couldn't hardly make it to the house. I did force into second gear, but drove home slow the rest of the way. What is the cause of this? Have I messed up my transmission? I have had no problems until now and I take great maintenance care of my car. Please help!!

Thank you,
Me:confused:

Have the hydraulic clutch checked out. If you have not been changing the brake fluid in the Clutch Master Cylinder every 2 years, it, or the Slave Cylinder, may be ruined.

Read the second half of this link:

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/cars-t...tml#post619000

Another possibility is that the synchros are damaged, if the fluid has not been changed every 2 years or 30,000 miles, whichever comes first. I say this even though Jettas are known to have a "sealed" transmission. The fluid can still be changed and I recommend that you do it, even if it means paying top dollar to VW to have it done. The yellow metals in the synchros are soft and can be easily damaged, especially if the proper fluid is not used or it's not changed on schedule. Try "double clutching" and see if that helps shifting gears. If it does, the synchros are likely damaged.