I have been having an issue with my 02 Jetta where my shifter seems like it comes loose. The car will still be in gear but the shifter moves freely between 3rd and 4th but will not go into any gear or move side to side. It also has a little play while in gear. What could this be and how do I fix it?

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Either the shifter cable has broke or it has come loose from either the end of the shifter itself or the transmission.

it appears that the shift cable retainer has come loose and allowing the outer case to move rather than the inner cable
if you can safely do so move the adjustment on the side of the transmission to neutral
if not get a tower that puts the drive wheels on a cradle so it can be moved to a workshop

Duplicate question.

Start with the firs post and have those cables and linkage assembly looked at if those are good then what you have is a loose bolt on the transmission that bolt is responsible to keep the gear in place when loose the transmission will do what you described as well nothing more nothing less.

you can shift it at transmission by hand to neutral or park and have someone inside start the car and you manually put in gear under hood and drive it to shop or garage, wherever

The shifter needs to be inspected. The shifter assembly is got misaligned, it has to be open and realign.

There are many other possibilities. But if it was working right up till now and suddenly this occurred then its shifter assembly alignment issue.

Also i suggest you to refer these gear shift issues, which are mostly noticed. These are direct links with appropriate solutions to the specific problems of gear ****.

GEAR SHIFT ISSUES

Gear indicator Shows "3" Instead Of "D"?

http://whoisbyme.blogspot.in/2012/07/gear-indicator-shows-3-instead-of-d.html

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2006 Chrysler 300c: Shifter Stuck in Park?

http://technoanswers.blogspot.in/2012/06/2006-chrysler-300c-shifter-stuck-in.html

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1998 Ford Expedition: Will not Shift Out of Park?

http://schematicsdiagram.blogspot.in/2012/06/1998-ford-expedition-will-not-shift-out.html

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Car will not move when in gear?

http://repairhelpcenter.blogspot.in/2012/02/car-will-not-move-when-in-gear.html

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Mercedes-Benz transmission sticks in first gear?

http://technoanswers.blogspot.com/2012/01/mercedes-benz-transmission-sticks-in.html

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Mercedes Benz not engaging in first gear?

http://technoanswers.blogspot.com/2012/01/mercedes-benz-not-engaging-in-first.html

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Chrysler PT Cruiser only goes in First gear?

http://howtobyme.blogspot.com/2011/11/chrysler-pt-cruiser-only-goes-in-first.html

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Car is stuck in park and the shift will not move?

http://howtobyme.blogspot.com/2011/08/car-is-stuck-in-park-and-shift-will-not.html

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2007 Ford Expedition: How to shift car in neutral with Dead Battery

http://www.howtorepairguide.com/2012/11/2007-ford-expedition-how-to-shift-car.html

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2002 Nissan sentra will not go out of park mode?

http://technoanswers.blogspot.in/2012/02/2002-nissan-sentra-will-not-go-out-of.html

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Nissan Sentra stuck in park?

http://technoanswers.blogspot.in/2012/02/nissan-sentra-stuck-in-park.html

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Car will not come out of Park?

http://howtobyme.blogspot.com/2011/11/car-will-not-come-out-of-park.html

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Automatic transmission will not go into high gear?

http://howtobyme.blogspot.com/2011/11/automatic-transmission-will-not-go-into.html

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Car won't downshift sometimes?

http://schematicsdiagram.blogspot.com/2011/12/car-wont-downshift-sometimes.html

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Buick Park Avenue: Transmission will Not shift into drive?

http://schematicsdiagram.blogspot.com/2011/12/buick-park-avenuetransmission-will.html

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No First gear Starts In Second Gear

http://www.howtobyme.blogspot.com/2012/07/no-first-gear-starts-in-second-gear.html

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Ford Taurus won't shift from park?

http://schematicsdiagram.blogspot.com/2011/12/ford-taurus-wont-shift-from-park.html

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2006 Ford F150: Will Not Shift out Of Park?

http://technoanswers.blogspot.in/2012/06/2006-ford-f150-will-not-shift-out-of.html

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Car Transmission will not go into Park mode?

http://schematicsdiagram.blogspot.com/2011/12/car-transmission-will-no-go-into-park.html

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1998 Chrysler Voyager: Transmission Problem?

http://howtobyme.blogspot.in/2012/06/1998-chrysler-voyager-transmission.html

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Shift indicator directly goes to 2nd when key is turned ON?

http://schematicsdiagram.blogspot.com/2011/12/shift-indicator-directly-goes-to-2nd.html

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Third gear missing and engine losing power?

http://schematicsdiagram.blogspot.com/2012/01/third-gear-missing-and-engine-losing.html

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Chevrolet silverado has whining sound in gear?

http://technoanswers.blogspot.com/2012/01/chevrolet-silverado-has-whining-sound.html

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2002 Chevrolet Avalanche Z71: Gear shift Issue?

http://whoisbyme.blogspot.in/2012/06/2002-chevrolet-avalanche-z71-gear-shift.html

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Hard to shift gears on Manual transmission?

http://technoanswers.blogspot.com/2012/01/hard-to-shift-gears-on-manual.html

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Car hard shift at slow speeds?

http://technoanswers.blogspot.com/2012/01/car-hard-shift-at-slow-speeds.html

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Transmission-Hard To Down Shift

http://technoanswers.blogspot.in/2012/07/transmission-hard-to-down-shift.html

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Automatic transmission shift lever hard to move on cold mornings?

http://technoanswers.blogspot.com/2012/01/automatic-transmission-shift-lever-hard.html

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2000 Nissan maxima shifts hard?

http://schematicsdiagram.blogspot.in/2012/02/2000-nissan-maxima-shifts-hard.html

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Vehicle noticed sluggish delayed shifts while driving?

http://schematicsdiagram.blogspot.in/2012/03/vehicle-noticed-sluggish-delayed-shifts.html

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2007 Hyundai Santa Fe: Will not Shift out of Park Mode?

http://schematicsdiagram.blogspot.in/2012/06/2007-hyundai-santa-fe-will-not-shift.html

These details will help.

Thanks.

Sounds as if your linkage may have become disconnect from the transmission.

Your shifter cable sounds like it separated from the transmission or shifter or just broke. you are probably stuck in a moving gear so the neutral safety switch is disabling the ignition.

Does the shifter feel loose? Does it drive in neutral or does it lock in two gears if you select a different gear? I'm trying to determine if it is a transmission problem or a shifter problem. It is likely a shifter problem.