Symptom
Vehicle will not move in any gear
The engine runs and gears can be selected, but the vehicle does not move in either direction. Distinct from a transmission that slips, where drive is present but weak. Loss of drive in every gear points at something common to all of them — fluid low enough that the pump cannot build pressure, a failed pump, or a broken input element — rather than at any individual gear. Have the vehicle recovered rather than trying repeatedly, since running a transmission with no pressure damages it further each time.
Also described as: no drive, won't move, revs but doesn't move, no forward or reverse, car won't go, no drive in any gear, engine revs but car stays still, با هیچ دنده ای حرکت نمیکند, ماشین راه نمیرود, no avanza ninguna marcha, no se mueve coche, mete marchas no avanza, السيارة لا تتحرك بأي غيار, أدخل الغيار ولا تمشي, ما تتحرك أبدا, سيارتي لا تتحرك
Some causes mean you should stop driving
9 of the 26 codes that produce this symptom indicate a fault where continuing to drive risks damage or is unsafe. If the symptom is sudden or severe, treat it as one of those until a scan says otherwise.
What this usually means
Have the vehicle recovered rather than trying repeatedly. Running a transmission with no pressure damages it further with every attempt, and each try makes the eventual repair larger.
Loss of drive in every direction points at something common to all of them, which is a much shorter list than a gearbox that slips in one place: fluid low enough that the pump cannot build pressure, a failed pump, or a broken input element — a torque converter that is no longer coupling, or a splined connection that has stripped.
This is distinct from a transmission that slips, where drive is present but weak. Here there is nothing at all, and the difference is diagnostic: slipping means pressure exists and elements are not holding, while no drive at all usually means there is no pressure to hold with.
Check the fluid before anything else, and check it properly. A level far below minimum is the commonest cause and the cheapest, and it points immediately at a leak — a cooler line, a pan gasket, a seal — which needs finding rather than merely topping up.
A whine that rose before drive was lost is the transmission's own warning. A pump drawing air whines, and that noise usually precedes the failure by long enough to have acted on it. On a manual, no drive in any gear with a working clutch pedal is a different fault entirely — a stripped input shaft, a failed clutch disc hub, or a differential that has given up.
Working through it
| What you find | Likely cause | How to confirm it | What fixes it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fluid far below minimum, or none on the level check | The pump cannot build pressure — the cheapest cause and the one to check first | Use the manufacturer's level procedure. Then look for where it went: cooler lines, pan gasket, output seals. | Repair the leak and refill to specification. Assess for damage before returning it to use — running dry is not free. |
| Engine revs cleanly, no drive either way, fluid level correct | A failed pump, a broken input element, or a torque converter no longer coupling | Measure line pressure. Zero or near-zero with correct fluid names the pump or its drive. | Recover the vehicle. This is a transmission-out repair and further attempts add damage. |
| A rising whine preceded the loss of drive | The pump drawing air as level fell — the warning the transmission gave before it stopped | Ask when the noise started. It usually precedes the failure by long enough that the leak was findable. | Repair the leak, refill, and assess pump condition. Running a pump dry damages it. |
| Selector moves but the display shows nothing or the wrong gear | The range switch or selector — the transmission may never be commanded into gear at all | Compare live gear position against the lever. Check whether the engine cranks in park and the reverse lights work. | Adjust or renew the range switch, or repair the selector cable. Far cheaper than anything inside. |
| Manual gearbox, clutch works, no drive in any gear | A stripped input shaft, a failed clutch disc hub, or a differential failure | Select a gear with the engine off and try to push the car: a drivetrain that turns freely in gear has lost its connection. | Recover and dismantle. The hydraulic reasoning above does not apply to a manual. |
| Drive was lost immediately after a repair or a fluid service | Wrong fluid, wrong level, a filter not seated, or a converter not fully engaged on refitting | Retrace the work. A converter not fully home before the bellhousing was tightened is a known and destructive error. | Correct the work. Do not run it further while diagnosing — this is the case where minutes matter. |
-
Fluid far below minimum, or none on the level check
- Likely cause
- The pump cannot build pressure — the cheapest cause and the one to check first
- How to confirm it
- Use the manufacturer's level procedure. Then look for where it went: cooler lines, pan gasket, output seals.
- What fixes it
- Repair the leak and refill to specification. Assess for damage before returning it to use — running dry is not free.
-
Engine revs cleanly, no drive either way, fluid level correct
- Likely cause
- A failed pump, a broken input element, or a torque converter no longer coupling
- How to confirm it
- Measure line pressure. Zero or near-zero with correct fluid names the pump or its drive.
- What fixes it
- Recover the vehicle. This is a transmission-out repair and further attempts add damage.
-
A rising whine preceded the loss of drive
- Likely cause
- The pump drawing air as level fell — the warning the transmission gave before it stopped
- How to confirm it
- Ask when the noise started. It usually precedes the failure by long enough that the leak was findable.
- What fixes it
- Repair the leak, refill, and assess pump condition. Running a pump dry damages it.
-
Selector moves but the display shows nothing or the wrong gear
- Likely cause
- The range switch or selector — the transmission may never be commanded into gear at all
- How to confirm it
- Compare live gear position against the lever. Check whether the engine cranks in park and the reverse lights work.
- What fixes it
- Adjust or renew the range switch, or repair the selector cable. Far cheaper than anything inside.
-
Manual gearbox, clutch works, no drive in any gear
- Likely cause
- A stripped input shaft, a failed clutch disc hub, or a differential failure
- How to confirm it
- Select a gear with the engine off and try to push the car: a drivetrain that turns freely in gear has lost its connection.
- What fixes it
- Recover and dismantle. The hydraulic reasoning above does not apply to a manual.
-
Drive was lost immediately after a repair or a fluid service
- Likely cause
- Wrong fluid, wrong level, a filter not seated, or a converter not fully engaged on refitting
- How to confirm it
- Retrace the work. A converter not fully home before the bellhousing was tightened is a known and destructive error.
- What fixes it
- Correct the work. Do not run it further while diagnosing — this is the case where minutes matter.
Codes that produce this symptom (26)
Listed with the codes that most typically present this way first — the likeliest place to start.
- P0893 Multiple Gears Engaged Typical of this code Stop driving Critical
- P0902 Clutch A Actuator Control Circuit Low Typical of this code High
- P0903 Clutch A Actuator Control Circuit High Typical of this code High
- P0932 Hydraulic Pressure Sensor Circuit Typical of this code High
- P0942 Hydraulic Pressure Unit Typical of this code High
- P0944 Hydraulic Pressure Unit Loss of Pressure Typical of this code Stop driving High
- P0945 Hydraulic Pump Relay/Control Circuit/Open Typical of this code High
- P0948 Hydraulic Pump Relay/Control Circuit High Typical of this code High
- P0A0A High Voltage System Interlock Circuit A Typical of this code Stop driving Critical
- P0A0B High Voltage System Interlock Circuit A Performance Typical of this code Stop driving Critical
- P0A0C High Voltage System Interlock Circuit A Low Typical of this code Stop driving Critical
- P0A0D High Voltage System Interlock Circuit A High Typical of this code Stop driving Critical
- U0311 Software Incompatibility With Drive Motor Control Module Typical of this code High
- P0805 Clutch Position Sensor A Circuit High
- P0807 Clutch Position Sensor A Circuit Low High
- P0808 Clutch Position Sensor A Circuit High High
- P0811 Excessive Clutch A Slippage Stop driving High
- P0868 Transmission Fluid Pressure Low Stop driving High
- P0900 Clutch A Actuator Control Circuit/Open High
- P0916 Gear Shift Position Circuit A Low High
- P0917 Gear Shift Position Circuit A High High
- P0934 Hydraulic Pressure Sensor Circuit Low High
- P0935 Hydraulic Pressure Sensor Circuit High High
- P0B37 High Voltage Service Disconnect Open Stop driving High
- U0465 Invalid Data Received From PTO Control Module High
Information, not instruction
CarGeek is a reference, not a service manual. Its pages are written from public sources and from what other people have found, never from a manufacturer's own service information, so they can be wrong or incomplete for your particular vehicle. Some of what they describe carries real risk: high voltage, fuel under pressure, stored energy, hot and moving parts.
Have anything you intend to act on checked by a trained person against the manufacturer's own procedure for your vehicle. Nothing here replaces that procedure.
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