Land Rover vehicles keep surprising us with their “quality”. These cars are great to drive, comfortable, luxurious, etc. but they fail to deliver simple quality and this is really disturbing.
One of the common problems with the Range Rover Evoque (and some other models including Jaguar cars) is the gear selector issue. It may not go up when you start the car, or it may not move out of P.
Usually, the reason for this problem is the gear selector itself. It’s a faulty module that many Evoque owners had replaced within the warranty period.
In this article, I will tell you everything I know in the hope of saving you time and money!
Symptoms and nature of the problem
The issue may start as an intermittent problem with the gear selector knob. This article is only talking about the old-gen Evoque (2011-2017) vehicles with the knob instead of the lever selector that was introduced in the new-gen model.
So, there are several ways this knob can malfunction:
- it doesn’t go down when you turn off the vehicle – this is usually one of the first signs;
- it doesn’t go up when you turn on the engine – a really common issue that prevents you from driving the car;
- it won’t go out of P and the indicators may start flashing;
- it won’t go out of D when you want to put it in Park.
The gear selector may also throw several codes. One of the most common ones is the P176C-11 code which means exactly this: the gear selector is dead or is about to die.
As a result, you can’t drive the vehicle, there is no way you can get this selector out of the console or push it to go down. Many drivers may start panicking, but there is a solution to every problem, so let’s look at them.
What can you do immediately when this happens?
If the knob refuses to go up when you start the car, you may do the following:
- try restarting the vehicle;
- try disconnecting the 12V battery for 5-7 minutes;
- try leaving the car for several hours and trying again.
This may help you avoid paying for a tow truck. But if this problem already happened, there is no way to hope it won’t happen again.
If the knob refuses to shift out of P, try the following:
- turn the car off, wait a bit, and turn it on again;
- leave the car for a while and try again.
Unfortunately, there is little chance that everything will work well. But you should try.
If the knob refuses to shift out of D or R, try the following:
- turn off the vehicle so that it won’t roll once you release the brake pedal;
- apply the parking brake;
- find the Neutral lever on your transmission – it’s easily accessible under the hood;
- put the transmission in Neutral;
- now, you can tow your vehicle to the dealership safely.
Fortunately, these automatic transmissions are pretty easy to put in Neutral. This saves you money because otherwise towing may cost you three times more. But none of these solutions fixes the problem, of course.
Can you actually fix it without paying for the new gear selector? Let’s find out.
What are the reasons for this problem?
The actual reasons are pretty complicated: they lie inside the gear selector module. This is the electronic unit that actually houses the knob itself. Apart from the knob, it has a myriad of electronic units that can fail.
The reasons for their failure are different:
- water damage – coffee from the cup holder could easily be spilled or maybe some rainwater from your jacket;
- physical damage – maybe, you weren’t careful when shifting, so the tender and vulnerable knob was broken;
- faulty module – this is yet another electronic module that can fail without any actual reasons for this;
- low battery – sometimes, it’s worth checking if the battery is OK because a low battery can cause electronic glitches;
- transmission problems – it’s not that common for the Evoque, but still possible, so it’s worth checking the codes with a good scanner.
Unfortunately, the faulty gear selector module is pretty common. This knob may not react just because it has a problem with electronics that can’t be fixed by just turning the vehicle off and on again.
ATTENTION! SAFETY TIP: If you own a Land Rover or Jaguar vehicle with the unfortunate rotary gear selector knob, please always use a parking brake when leaving your car!!! Because of the knob glitch, your car may stay in gear or shift to Neutral instead of going to Park and the vehicle may roll. This may lead to damages, injuries, or even fatalities!
Is there a recall for a faulty gear selector by JLR?
No, there is no recall for this issue although Land Rover perfectly knows these knobs were faulty. In the new-gen Evoque they moved away from the rotary gear selector and introduced the BMW-like lever that is much more reliable.
Unfortunately, they never admitted that the rotary selector is faulty and they won’t repair your vehicle for free unless it’s under warranty (which is impossible now due to its age).
How can this problem be solved?
There are three possible solutions for the issue with the gear selector in your Range Rover Evoque.
1. Temporary fix by resetting the module
You can temporarily fix the problem by disconnecting the battery. This will reset the electronic module and the gear selector may start behaving like it should. At least, for some time.
I personally know a guy in the UK who had this issue several times already but the tip with resetting the battery worked every time. Now he says he has this issue once every 100-200 times he starts the car and the battery-disconnection tricks work perfectly.
But it’s not reliable, of course.
2. Repair of the gear selector module
There are several companies in Europe that will repair the module for you. Fortunately, this gear selector module is very easy to take off the car. A couple of bolts should be unscrewed. You can then send the module to one of those companies and they will fix it.
This may cost you about 100-150 pounds plus shipping costs depending on the condition of the knob and the reason for its failure.
For example, if the knob was all damaged by water, there is no way it can be fixed or it will cost you a fortune. If it’s just a common faulty electronic part, it can easily be tested and eventually repaired for 100 pounds/euros.
3. New gear selector from JLR
Your last resort is the new gear selector. It will cost you 400-500 pounds/euros depending on the dealer. The labor is not expensive – it’s about half an hour of work to replace the gear selector in the Evoque.
But the part itself is pretty expensive. And we never know if Land Rover did something to improve its quality or if it’s going to malfunction in a year or two.
Is it safe to drive if the gear selector malfunctions?
Generally, it’s safe to drive the vehicle and it won’t shift out of D when you are driving. At least, there are no reports that would prove this is possible.
But it’s not that safe to park such a car. As it can just not shift to P without you noticing it. As I said before, if you own a Land Rover with a rotary gear selector, please always apply the parking brake when parking your vehicle.
By the way, recently I also wrote an article about the petrol Ingenium engine problems – you may want to have a look.
I strongly recommend solving the problem once it shows up. Ignoring it may eventually lead to the situation when you are stranded and can’t make your beautiful SUV move from its current spot.
Do you have experience dealing with this problem? Please share it in the comments below!
