2022 Octavia with DQ381 shows Selector Lever Error after a 200 km drive

This seems to be a very common error with Skoda cars across Europe, however, it was with cars having DSG transmissions.

BHPian SP2490 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

It has been close to 1.5 yr since I got myself a Skoda Octavia. Usage typically has been a mix of city & highway driving, although I have never taken it on a 200+km road trip. That changed recently when I took a trip to Nashik. The car was great to drive on flat surfaces and on curves, all as expected. However, on my way back when I started the car the system showed a ghastly error message- Selector Lever Error. You can drive on. Visit your workshop immediately.

I had never seen such an error before and I started to dig in immediately as I had to travel 200kms back. This seems to be a very common error with Skoda cars across Europe, however, it was with cars having DSG. The new Octavia having drive-by-wire should be less susceptible to transmission issues, at least that's what I thought.

Fortunately, the error disappeared on restarting the car, and I was able to drive back. But today that system error popped up again and I have to take the car to the workshop.

Long story short, I was wondering if anyone here faced a similar issue and what was the reason for it and whether it was permanently fixed.

Here's what BHPian Jeroen had to say about the matter:

If you're lucky it is just a problem with the microswitch or the wiring/connector of the microswitch.

Get them to read the codes and troubleshoot subsequently, but I believe this is a pretty common error/issue on the Skoda DSG.

Here's what BHPian Hayek had to say about the matter:

Do let us know what the diagnosis is. This is not the behaviour I observed on my Superb with the DQ200 when the mechatronics failed. In that case, it merely failed to shift out of P into D - and the indicator kept blinking. Hope this is not a mechatronics issue but is something minor with the system. Best of luck.

Here's what BHPian audioholic had to say about the matter:

It isn't a mechatronic issue. The error is coming from the Gear selector lever when it can't read the correct position. IIRC the company was replacing the selector lever on some Kushaqs and Slavias.

Once the vehicle is plugged into the diagnostics tool it will show which position in the gear selector was not read or was implausible. That can explain better what the issue is and perhaps only the selector assembly is faulty.

Here's what BHPian CEF_Beasts had to say about the matter:

This isn’t a mechatronic issue, but the gear lever selector chip issue.

This is a well-known issue in India as well, a few people have already faced it and got it replaced under warranty…

Here are link 1 and link 2 from the official review which mention the same issue. Do check if it’s indeed the same error that you’re facing.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.