SMAX gear shift indicator malfunction

Hey, I'm having a weird issue with my 2006 Ford SMAX diesel. The gear shift indicator is acting up – completely dead. This also makes it impossible to engage any gear. Apart from that, it feels like the gearbox slips/shifts uncleanly and sometimes makes grinding noises. I scanned it, and there's an error stored, related to the control unit. It's showing as a gear selection display malfunction in the speedometer. I suspect the control unit is defective, but I'm not sure. Has anyone experienced something similar? Mileage is at 39538 km. Any ideas before I take it to a workshop?

4 comment(s)

Sounds familiar! I had a similar issue with my SMAX a while back. Was the shifting behavior always bad or did it get worse over time? I also had implausible shifting behavior of the automatic transmission.

Good to know I'm not alone! The shifting definitely got worse gradually over time. What ended up being the problem for you?

Yep, gradual worsening sounds spot on. For me, it turned out to be a faulty control unit, just like you suspect. Unfortunately, that meant a trip to the shop. Get it checked properly, because it may cause collateral damage.

Thanks for the confirmation. Looks like I'll be booking it in then. Hopefully, it won't cost me an arm and a leg - I heard it might be around 1000€ for the repair...

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