NHTSA Complaint #10676866 — 2013 CHEVROLET SONIC

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH. I SHIFTED FROM 4TH TO 5TH AND SOMETHING DIDN'T FEEL RIGHT, LIKE THE TRANSMISSION DIDN'T ENGAGE. I THEN REALIZED I COULD NOT MOVE THE SHIFT LEVER ON THE TRANSMISSION OUT OF GEAR. I ATTEMPTED TO TAKE THE NEXT EXIT BUT THE RAMP WAS ONLY SUITABLE FOR AROUND 30MPH. I TRIED TO KEEP THE ENGINE FROM STALLING AS BEST AS I COULD. AS I GOT AROUND THE RAMP I PULLED TO THE SHOULDER AND NEARLY HIT A GUARD RAIL BECAUSE THE SHOULDER ENDED AND I BARELY STOPPED IN TIME. I CALLED CHEVY ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE FOR A TOW VEHICLE AND THEY DISPATCHED ONE. WHILE I WAS WAITING I GOOGLE'D MY PROBLEM ("CHEVY SONIC STUCK IN GEAR"). ALAS, ANOTHER PERSON HAD THE SAME EXACT ISSUE WITH THE SAME EXACT VEHICLE. ACCORDING TO THIS MESSAGE BOARD POSTER A SMALL PLASTIC CLAMP SLID OUT OF PLACE CAUSING THE SHIFT CABLE TO BE REMOVED FROM IT'S HOUSING, ESSENTIALLY RENDERING IT USELESS. I TOOK APART MY CONSOLE AND FOUND I HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. WHEN I REINSTALLED THE PLASTIC CLAMP THAT HOLDS THE CABLE IN PLACE EVERYTHING WORKED NORMALLY, I WAS ABLE TO SHIFT IN AND OUT OF GEAR. I BELIEVE A RECALL SHOULD BE ISSUED AS THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION TO BE IN WHEN TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. *TR