Refusing to reverse; repeatedly going into neutral

[GrahamB]

Have had my Enyaq iV80 just under 4 weeks. It sometimes refuses to reverse! Put it into reverse and try to move backwards and it immediately goes into neutral and puts on the handbrake and does so repeatedly, perhaps managing 6" at a time. It does this on perhaps half my reversing attempts, often when reversing into a right-angled parking spaces between other cars, sometimes when parallel parking and sometimes even when in a clear road. Sometimes it is equally difficult in reversing out of a parking place. Much embarrassment afforded to me and annoyance caused to other nearby motorists. Main dealer has looked at it twice including running diagnostics ("nothing wrong") and chief technician telling me that rear sensors cannot be turned off. Looking at other posts, I had a faint hope that putting a shortcut on the infotainment screen to disable the autohold might cure it. Indeed it rolls backwards like an automatic, but then does the neutral and handbrake trick. I am waiting to get entirely stuck in a parking place! Any same experience, help or ideas?

[RichR]

Even auto hold and the collision prevention wouldn't put it into neutral though - it'd stay in reverse, just with the brakes on.

Definitely doesn't seem like normal behaviour, I've certainly not experienced anything like that in nearly two years of Enyaq ownership.

[Goaty]

/\ Ditto: 18 months here and never experienced anything the way it has been described in the original post. Sounds like it needs to be checked out.

[RichR]

Could it be a faulty parking brake centre console switch maybe? Just trying to think what's capable of putting the car into Park. Or perhaps a weight on seat switch problem so it thinks you've got out?

I have to admit I've got into the bad habit of not putting it in Park before getting out when I park up at home. Just stop on autohold, then take off my seatbelt and get out. Car puts transmission into Park and handbrake on automatically when there's no weight on the driver's seat.

[Aragorn]

Are you lifting yourself out of the seat while turning to look backwards? Are you removing your seatbelt?

No seatbelt + no bum on seat = car shutdown.

Just tested this at lunch. Seatbelt on and lifting myself out the seat. No problem. But if i take the belt off AND lift my butt off the seat then let the car roll, when i touch the brakes it shuts down and applies the handbrake.

It also does it in both Drive and Reverse.

It also makes the shutdown bong when this happens, so it should be fairly obvious if thats whats going on.

[Goaty]

Are you lifting yourself out of the seat while turning to look backwards? Are you removing your seatbelt?

No seatbelt + no bum on seat = car shutdown.

Just tested this at lunch. Seatbelt on and lifting myself out the seat. No problem. But if i take the belt off AND lift my butt off the seat then let the car roll, when i touch the brakes it shuts down and applies the handbrake.

It also does it in both Drive and Reverse.

It also makes the shutdown bong when this happens, so it should be fairly obvious if thats whats going on.

Ah yes - now that does happen. Sometimes I poke my head out the window to get the best view possible of the kerb (21” Betria alloys !) and that ‘lifting’ from the seat does indeed cause it to go into neutral sometimes. Can’t remember if it’s with the belt on or off; possibly off I suppose if I’m leaning over the window a bit. Good point.

[GrahamB]

Thanks to you all! Aragorn nailed it. Bum down and belt off; she reverses. Bum up and belt on she reverses, but bum up AND belt off, she thinks 'no one is driving' and goes into neutral and applies the handbrake. I annoyed several dozen people in Sainsbury's car park making sure of this. And my clever sister-in-law had started me thinking about the seat sensor. How did I get into such awful reversing habits? Anyway, I'm now beginning to have trust in the little yellow green and red lines, and the door mirrors never can lie! And the main dealer can put me on their list of nutty customers.