Leaving car in drive when starting the engine

SARAHNOV23

MEMBER
2014 FIAT 500L
1.3L
4 CYL
2WD
AUTOMATIC
75,000 MILES

When the car is left in drive and turned off if I turn it on still in drive the car says on the cluster it's in neutral(N) then I try move it still in drive it doesn't move at all. Then I put it in reverse and it shows R on the cluster I try move it, it still doesn't move. Is this because the car was left in drive and thinks it's in neutral? When turned on I recently took my car back to the dealer due to a fault but now he's saying the car won't move is completely broke, but he always starts the car in drive on videos he shows me and will not start it in neutral. I drove that car 90 miles from mine to his so it definitely did drive when I took it back.

Thursday, December 2nd, 2021 AT 5:34 PM

1 Reply

JACOBANDNICKOLAS

MECHANIC
110,176 POSTS

Hi,

First, the vehicle should only start in park or neutral and not drive. So, there could be an issue with the park/neutral safety switch.

I attached the wiring schematic below for the starting system. To start, check the fuse I highlighted and the starter relay, both of which are located in the power distribution box under the hood.

When checking the fuse, first confirm the fuse is good. If it is, confirm there is power to and from it. Here is a link you may find helpful:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-check-a-car-fuse

If there is another relay with the sane part number, switch them to see if it makes a difference. Also, remember, the vehicle should only start in park or neutral.

Here is a link to help check a relay if there isn't one to switch with:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-check-an-electrical-relay-and-wiring-control-circuit

The last pic shows the fuse box location under the hood. Locate fuse 3 for checking.

Let me know what you find.

Joe

See pics below.

Images (Click to make bigger)