Well as far as the gear shift indicator goes; as you move the gear shift lever, there is a piece of nylon string attached to the steering column that pulls the indicator needle into position. it retracts with a spring acting against the string. When you drop the steering column, you can see the string and if the string is attached, then look for a broken or disconnected spring by the indicator.
As far as your shuddering problem goes, you could have worn suspension parts specifically ball joints in your front end. Also look for anything broken like a section of the frame and check your stablizer bar bushings.