[fdryer]

How is your car telling you its in 3rd gear?

1-If you can jack up each side of the front end, look for a broken half shaft. Front wheel drive uses two half shafts with flexible joints to allow up/down suspension while driving each wheel. When one driveshaft snaps, the xmission is disabled and cannot move the vehicle.

2-Is the check engine light on? If on, borrow a reader to decode any errors.