Several Honda vehicles from the last few years have come with a push button gearshift instead of the traditional lever. It’s a little odd to use at first, but you get a handle on it pretty quickly. So far it’s been mostly trouble-free, but there is one problem I’ve found twice.

I’ve had two different Honda Clarity’s in the shop with a code indicating a problem with the pushbutton shifter. The code wouldn’t return after clearing it and testing every button. The first thing I noticed when looking at both cars was that there was something stuck in the reverse button, keeping it from fully coming back out. The first one was a small googly eye, the second was just a crumb. My assumption is that the computer thinks there’s a problem with the button because it’s not fully releasing, but I can’t get it to happen manually. It’s only because I’ve had this happen on two different cars with similar obstructions that makes me think it’s the cause.

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-Dan