Q: Gears won't engage and car has had five battery replacements

First, when I put my car into Reverse the lights on the gear shift come on and the Reverse gear will not engage. Then I put my car into Park and then go back to Reverse. A second incident: the engine would not start even when it was in Park. Thinking it was probably the battery, a neighbor helped me to jump-start it. Because of a short in the doors and the power lock relays, I have already gone through “five” new batteries!

Finally when I put the car into Neutral, it started. When it goes through this long process, then I am able to drive it. To explain a third incident: I had parked the car and while my child was getting out, the car started rolling forward. My child could have been hurt! I’m so thankful there were no injuries! After that happened, I headed to my mechanic’s shop and they reported to me that the cause was the cable. I started researching online and found that there were thousands that were recalled due to the cable defect, but GM said that my make/model was not within that recall. They told me to have a GM dealer diagnosis it to see if they would take care of the fee. Before I do that, could you please give me your professional advice on what is causing this?