Buddy of mine has a 2009 Tahoe that is acting up. He was trying to leave the house, shifted into reverse, stopped because he forgot something then it wouldn't shift out of reverse. Shifter moves but nothing happens. Car is still in driveway. He shut it down so he could get out and now it won't start. Quick google search didn't yield anything obvious. Please advise.

Disconnected shift linkage probably.

Is there any resistance on it?

There is a plastic clip on my linkage close to the transmission, not the same vehicle, but might be something similar. Maybe someone can look under the car while another person moves the shifter. Should be able to fit under a Tahoe. Not sure how level the driveway is, but block the tires and have the engine off just to be safe. If on a decent slope, park another car a few inches behind it for extra insurance. The gear shifter should move with the ignition on and the engine off.

No resistance when trying to shift

Broken linkage at transmission. If I recall, it is an external part.

The shifter cable disconnected at the transmission. Crawl under there and pop it back on. If the retaining clip broke, then use zip ties to secure it back in place.

Might have to buy a new shifter cable if you don't like the zip tie fix. You may not be able to manually bring it all the way down to first gear if the zip ties bind.

I've had to do this on a couple of trucks. To get a secure connection, have two ties tightened around the metal lever, slip a tie between lever and lever tie, place female cable end onto male end of shift lever, & then tighten the remaining two ties around the cable end.

This is good, intermediate level zip tie workmanship.

silverado_lover said:

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The shifter cable disconnected at the transmission. Crawl under there and pop it back on. If the retaining clip broke, then use zip ties to secure it back in place.

Might have to buy a new shifter cable if you don't like the zip tie fix. You may not be able to manually bring it all the way down to first gear if the zip ties bind.

I've had to do this on a couple of trucks. To get a secure connection, have two ties tightened around the metal lever, slip a tie between lever and lever tie, place female cable end onto male end of shift lever, & then tighten the remaining two ties around the cable end.

This is good, intermediate level zip tie workmanship.

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Need pics for this advanced tutorial. That's like trying to tie fishing knots without a diagram, Holmes

I can vouch for this fix. Did the same thing on my old truck, worked like a charm. I am handy around the house, but a know nothing on cars, and I was able to very easily find what he's talking about, make the fix with a couple of zip ties, and I was off without any other issues....until it got totaled a few weeks ago.

Yep, was the bushing. What a piss poor design. Thanks for the replies.

silverado_lover said:

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The shifter cable disconnected at the transmission. Crawl under there and pop it back on. If the retaining clip broke, then use zip ties to secure it back in place.

Might have to buy a new shifter cable if you don't like the zip tie fix. You may not be able to manually bring it all the way down to first gear if the zip ties bind.

I've had to do this on a couple of trucks. To get a secure connection, have two ties tightened around the metal lever, slip a tie between lever and lever tie, place female cable end onto male end of shift lever, & then tighten the remaining two ties around the cable end.

This is good, intermediate level zip tie workmanship.

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Use a stainless steel zip tie (cable tie) if worried. SS zip tie would last longer than anything you attach it to.