2008 jeep patriot wont go into gear

Nothing is worse than sitting in a vehicle that’s stuck in park.  The engine is running fine, but the shifter just won’t move.  There are several things you can try to get your Jeep Patriot moving now.  These include checking to see if the parking brake is stuck, finding the shift lock solenoid override (if applicable), and the shift linkage.

Let’s get straight to it.  We’ll start with things that are easy and quick to remedy (allowing you to get moving again).  We’ll then move onto the less likely problems with the hope that you can get your Patriot out of park fast.

Is it physically impossible to move the gear shift into any other position? Here are a few possibilities that could be causing the problem.

Parking Brake Stuck

Is your Patriot parked on a hill?  If so, then the force of gravity could be forcing your transmission to put pressure on the parking lock in the transmission.

If this is what happened to your Patriot, it is good news since it’s pretty easy to fix.  This happens a lot when you don’t use a parking brake on a hill.  It can happen to any vehicle, at any age or mileage.  Getting it unstuck can be easy, but also a little dangerous since you’ll need to rock the vehicle.  The best way to rock it is from the driver’s seat.  Just throw your weight around.  Proceed at your own risk.

What you’re going to need to do is safely:

• Turn the vehicle engine on.
• Rock the vehicle with your foot off the brake.
• Press the brake down when you have rocked toward the hill a bit.  You want to “catch” it with the brake at the right time.  This will take pressure off of the parking lock.
• Apply light pressure to the shifter.  You don’t want to break the shift linkage.

Hopefully that worked.  You want to get a little pressure off of the parking mechanism in the transmission.  It’s not meant to be a brake.  That’s why parking brakes aren’t called emergency brakes anymore.  So if you do rock it, try and catch your Patriot as it rolls behind you.  When it’s about to rock forward again, hit the brakes and try to get it out of park.  Easy right?

Shift Lock Solenoid Failure

The shift lock solenoid is the mechanism that keeps you from shifting out of park without your foot on the brake.  The good news is that most shift locks have an override button.  You will need to find it for your particular model year of Patriot (if applicable).

Finding it is usually pretty easy.  Just look at your shifter.  There’ll be a little plastic cover, you pop it off and override the shifter lock solenoid.  This can get you back on the road in a hurry and could save you from being stranded.

Here’s a video that’ll show you where to find them on most vehicles. 

Bad Shift Linkage

The shift linkage on your Patriot will usually provide a lifetime of dependable service.  But, they can go bad.

If you are positive that the gear shifter is not stuck in park (see directly above), then it’s likely that the shift linkage may be bad.  Either something caused it to bend, or it’s starting to come loose.  If it’s come loose, the geometry won’t be right anymore and it may keep your Patriot stuck in park.

Conclusion:  Patriot Stuck in Park

There aren’t a lot of issues that would cause your Jeep Patriot to be stuck in park.  Good luck working through the diagnosis.  If there is anything that you would like to add, please feel free to leave a comment below.

Introduction

Within the guide, you will learn how to replace a broken shifter bushing. This bushing is found underneath the shifter itself. This bushing connects the shifter to the rest of the shifting mechanism that then connects the transmission of the vehicle. This guide is specific to a 2007-2012 Jeep Patriot. Use this guide if you find that your shifter is not in the correct position when shifting to the specified gear. But beware this issue could also be an issue with the vehicle’s transmission. Getting to the bushing might be a bit of a tight squeeze due to you having to get on the floorboard of your vehicle. Make sure your vehicle is completely turned off as you will be around wires while following the steps of this guide. Some of the screws you will come across may require some force in order to unscrew them.

• Remove the gear shifter handle, where it says PRDL (Park, Reverse, Neutral and Drive) next to it, by pulling it straight out in an upwards direction. It will take some force.

• Remove the PRND bezel with a flat head screwdriver.

• Remove the 19mm screws underneath the bezel using the Phillips #1 screwdriver.

• Remove the bezel assembly.

• Remove the 19mm screws from the console using the Phillips #1 screwdriver.

• Unscrew the two 19mm screws within the storage compartment using the Phillips #1 screwdriver.

• Pull up on your emergency brake as high as you can get it.

• Remove the middle and rear section of the console to remove the front section.

• Grab the sides of the console and start to wiggle it until you hear the sections unsnap from each other.

• Pull the middle and back section back and away from the rest of the console. Completely removing it. You may or may not have some electrical wires you will have to disconnect. It depends on your car's model.

• You do not have to disconnect this connector from the cigarette lighter.

• Now you need to be under the shifter bezel on the floorboard. If you follow the rod coming from the transmission, you will see it is not attached to anything.

• You will see a hole within the rod. That is where your bushing should be. You will push the bushing from the back side of the rod towards the driver side. The bushing should then be facing the driver side. You may need to put a little grease on it as it will be a little difficult to push in. Pliers will help you push it in also.

• Now that you have the bushing installed, you will reach into the mechanism and clip it in towards the passenger side.

Conclusion

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.

Team

What does it mean when your gear shifter is stuck in park?

What does limp mode mean on a Jeep Patriot?

Do Jeep Patriots have transmission problems?