all gears selected/no tiptronic/no 5th gear

ok, i have a 99 passat 1.8, the other day when i turned on my car, all the gears were selected in the display, and when i put it into tiptronic, the gear display doesnt change and the toptronic doesnt do anything. It doesnt shift into 2nd gear until i get it to about 3000rpm and never shifts into 5th gear, even on the highway getting it to about 4500-5000rpm or so and cruising to see if it shifts, so then i had to proceed doing 50-55 on the highway at 3000rpm. It idles rough when sitting in park, doesnt seem to be idling at a high enough rpm. Check engine light is not on, it came on but my antifreeze was low so i added some and the light went away. Anyone have similar problems or know of anything i can try to do or check?

Sounds like a charging issue. Have your battery and alternator checked out. Most auto parts stores do this for free. Franco

Did you ever find a solution to this problem? I ahve a 99 Passat that is doing the same thing.

Your transmission is in "Safe" mode. The only answer is to reset it using a code reader / reset tool. It happens to me when I have backed up and then within a minute or two back up again. I need to reset it periodically. I was told by the mechanic that the transmission control module needs a reflash of the software.