Transmission Problem

[Cboeger]

I was at my the old shop of where I work at picking up stuff, I leave my car running and I go inside to pick something up, after i come outside I get in my car try to go in reverse and my car just lunges forward instead, I press the gas it refuses to go in reverse. At this point I notice a CEL. Now I turned my car off and called my brother and he said he'd be there in a minute, so i tried to turn my car on and put in reverse again and it went in reverse, but as soon as i put in drive after I backed out of the parking spot my car died. So I started it up again put it in drive and it went, at this point the CEL light had gone off. So I called my brother and asked him what to do, he said try to make it to his mechanic, which is 3 miles down the road and I did.
What do you think is wrong with my transmission? Shift solenoid?

PS
If it makes any difference the parking spot I parked at is on a slight slope downhill.

Car: 2003 Ford Focus SE SPI 2.0

[Ben Fultz]

Have you checked the transmission fluid level? Could be your just that low on fluid there's not enough to fully engage torque converter.

[Cboeger]

Have you checked the transmission fluid level? Could be your just that low on fluid there's not enough to fully engage torque converter.

Yeah, I've checked it and its still full, but as I said, when it wouldn't engage into reverse the first time, I put it in park and shut it off, waited a few minutes and tried it again and it worked. After I was backed out far enough, I put it in drive and the car died on me, but it started right back up, and by that time the CEL went off. Also, Solenoids are electrical, so it would definitely throw a CEL if it went bad, correct?

[Ben Fultz]

Yea if one of the solenoids is bad/going bad it will throw a CEL. Few questions, was car running when you checked fluid level? How many miles are on car/transmission? What color is fluid and does it smell burnt? And lastly were you driving in stop and go traffic, or was it really hot outside?

[Cboeger]

Yea if one of the solenoids is bad/going bad it will throw a CEL. Few questions, was car running when you checked fluid level? How many miles are on car/transmission? What color is fluid and does it smell burnt? And lastly were you driving in stop and go traffic, or was it really hot outside?

Was 80 degrees outside(but humid), hottest its been like all year, and car was running when I checked the fluid, and its red/pinkish like it should be with the sweet smell and 118k miles, and i was on the highway got off and went to the shop parked, left it running and then went back to my car tried to go in reverse it decides to go forward after i set it in reverse and hit the gas (the gas didnt push it forward, it went forward because of the downhill parking spot since nothing happened when I hit the gas when it was in reverse). So i shut it off and waited a minute and started it back up, then it decided to go in reverse, then i backed out far enough put it in drive and the car died. I put the car in park and it started up and then put the car in drive again and i was able to drive it to the mechanic shop

[Ben Fultz]

Sounds like its either a bad solenoid or maybe a stuck shuttle valve in the valve body not allowing fluid to go where it needs to be in order to lock up your torque converter.

[boom50cal]

I'm thinking bad solenoid. My truck threw CEL's after CEL's when the solenoid went bad. Did you feel like you lost any gears when ever you got it in drive and took off?