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spy591

Three Bars

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Turned key this AM,display showed 2. Moved shift,heard actuator noises,went to N,car started. Shifted to 1,display went to three bars. Shut off engine, turn key,display 6...several attempts,heard actuator trying to work...dreaded three bars ever since. Battery at full charge.

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Turned key this AM,display showed 2. Moved shift,heard actuator noises,went to N,car started. Shifted to 1,display went to three bars. Shut off engine, turn key,display 6...several attempts,heard actuator trying to work...dreaded three bars ever since. Battery at full charge.

Have it towed to the dealer before you do any progressive damage to the gearbox.

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Your car must be HAULED on a flatbed to the dealer.Never towed. The smart car's electronic stability control,ABS brakes,etc,can be damaged if the car is towed instead of hauled.

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I guess I'm not part of the "everyone" either. Have not encountered any of the symptoms that you described.

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I have been having this problem on my 2005 passion cabrio. It started the second winter I had it and it continues today. It has been back to the dealer many, many time. They have changed many parts but have not been able to solve it.I have noticed that it only happens in the winter in wet sloppy conditions. I am now convinced that it is an electrical problem that appears when some connection gets wet, maybe salty wet.As there is no more warranty I will try an undercoating to see if that will seal the weak spot. But I am going to live with it.

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We have not had this either ( knock on wood). Wonder what happens if you disconnect the battery for a few minutes then reconnect? Might clear some corrupt memory? cheap to try

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When you turn off the key, do you wait at least 15 seconds for the reset before turning it back on? If the error is transitory, that might reset it.MG

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Oops, spoke too soon. Started up the Smart this morning (-17C), it had the three bars and would not engage. Let it warm up a bit, turn the car off then restarted. It did engage, but just got me half way up the driveway before dropping out of gear. I'm now waiting for a tow truck to take us to Ogilvie.

I have been having this problem on my 2005 passion cabrio. It started the second winter I had it and it continues today. It has been back to the dealer many, many time. They have changed many parts but have not been able to solve it.I have noticed that it only happens in the winter in wet sloppy conditions. I am now convinced that it is an electrical problem that appears when some connection gets wet, maybe salty wet.As there is no more warranty I will try an undercoating to see if that will seal the weak spot. But I am going to live with it.

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Reading between the lines, I am wondering if everyone is shutting down correctly? I.e. come to a stop, with foot still on brake, move gear selector to Reverse (look at display and see the R), engage the parking brake, then switch off.

Since the TBOD indicates that there is a gear-change fault, I wonder if that may have anything to do with it?

Bil :senile:

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Reading between the lines, I am wondering if everyone is shutting down correctly? I.e. come to a stop, with foot still on brake, move gear selector to Reverse (look at display and see the R), engage the parking brake, then switch off.

Since the TBOD indicates that there is a gear-change fault, I wonder if that may have anything to do with it?

Bil :senile:

I always park in N... first I've heard I'm suppose to park and shut down in R.

Waiting to get new actuator,magnet broken on actuator motor....fingers crossed that this will fix problem..

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I have been having this problem on my 2005 passion cabrio. It started the second winter I had it and it continues today. It has been back to the dealer many, many time. They have changed many parts but have not been able to solve it.I have noticed that it only happens in the winter in wet sloppy conditions. I am now convinced that it is an electrical problem that appears when some connection gets wet, maybe salty wet.As there is no more warranty I will try an undercoating to see if that will seal the weak spot. But I am going to live with it.

I have had the same troubles with the 3 bars and sloppy weather. I also causes my check engine light to come on. However, everything runs normal and it goes away shortly after getting out of the slop.

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Not me...."everyone" is a bit of an overstatement!

Obviously I jinxed myself with that post.....

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If you're not leaving the car in R, you're not engaging the immobilizer...

Where is this documented? I don't remember reading about it in the manual? I tend to leave the car in neutral when I park it, though there has been a couple times where it was left in first.

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Reading between the lines, I am wondering if everyone is shutting down correctly? I.e. come to a stop, with foot still on brake, move gear selector to Reverse (look at display and see the R), engage the parking brake, then switch off.

Bil - where did you get these"instructions"? It sounds more like urban myth than fact.

Usually I coast into my garage and leave the car in neutral with the e brake off. This way I can move the car without getting in and shifting gears.

In parking lots I use the E brake & 'R' so it won't roll.

6+ years and never had any transmission problem, 3 bars or otherwise. Still shifts as smooth as silk after 120,000 K.

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If you're not leaving the car in R, you're not engaging the immobilizer...

What?? More urban myth? No wonder newbees get confused with erroneous information that they take as fact.

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Where is this documented? I don't remember reading about it in the manual? I tend to leave the car in neutral when I park it, though there has been a couple times where it was left in first.

You are doing just fine.

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The passive immobilizer security system does not engage unless the transmission is parked in R. I think you'll find that in your operator's manual. I'll not take the time to look it up for you.

It is my hypothesis that if the car comes to a stop and the gearshift is moved into or left in "any old gear" and the key switched off hastily without giving the transmission whatever part of a second/seconds it needs to recognize the gear selection, it may be possible that when the car is restarted, it is already "confused" as to what gear it is in and throws the TBOD.

I am studying for my Certified Curmudgeon License exam next year. If I get stuck or confused, can I call on you for expert advice Fred? LOL!

Bil :senile:

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The passive immobilizer security system does not engage unless the transmission is parked in R.

Bil - I'm sure your car is the same as mine,barring any changes to the electronics, but in stock form after about 2 minutes regardless of the gear the car is in, the immobilizer activates as indicated by the "key" symbol.

Sorry Bil, but I just don't know where this (mis-)information comes from.

As any owner knows, the immobilizer needs to be deactivated before starting.

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There is a detent that prevents the car from being shifted out of R (physically prevents the lever from being moved out of R), only if it's parked in R.

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Let me try and get this sorted.

If you park the car in any other than Reverse, the engine immobilizer will engage after certain minutes. So if you park in neutral for example, you can roll the car away by releasing the hand brake, and you can move the gear lever around, but the engine won't start because the immobilizer is engaged until you release it with the fob's unlock button.

But if you park in reverse gear, not only will the immobilizer engage, but the transmission lock also engages and you cannot move the gear lever out of R. That is why smart instructs that the most secure way to park your car is as I described above.

However, that's all beside the point of the OP's concern, which is that his car has gone into the "Three Bars of Death" mode. And I stand by my hypothesis that a) parking in other than R, and b ) switching off too-fast, may be the source of the transmission controller's "confusion".

Bil :sun:

I reserve the right to be wrong and change my mind...

Edited by bilgladstone

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