Hard to switch from park to go

[MELISSAB]

I don't know if this is a problem or not but figured this is the place to ask. We bought our 20 EX early 2019 and have just over 37,000 miles. We love it and just bought a 24 as well. Sometimes my 20 is hard for me to shift from park into reverse or drive. Have my foot on the brake to start and keep it there when shifting to get moving. It's like it's resisting the change and feels like it clunks when it does shift. Driving is fine, shifting to park at my destination is also fine. My husband hasn't noticed this at all. It doesn't happen all the time, not even what I could call often. It seems more likely if I've parked on my steep uphill driveway but also happens when I'm parked on completely flat ground at work. On the hill I always shift to neutral and turn on the parking brake before shifting to park so it's not resting on the transmission but I only need to do that at home. It never seems to do this when others are in the car. Am I doing something wrong sometimes or I'm just not distracted so I'm noticing a normal shift more? Any ideas?

 

[choosethejuice]

On the hill I always shift to neutral and turn on the parking brake before shifting to park so it's not resting on the transmission

That’s a good habit! Resting on the transmission can be stressful for the parts.

also happens when I'm parked on completely flat ground

My first thought was that the parking brake needs to be adjusted, which happened to me in a different car after a few years.

Since it happens on flat ground, my next guess is to the check the transmission fluid level. You may want to consider flushing it, especially if you used the vehicle for towing or drive with frequent start/stops. Beyond that, you’d need a transmission tech to diagnose it.

The hard shift isn’t normal, and could be a symptom of an expensive problem down the line.