Your car has many different safety features to avoid unwanted mishaps, and the shifter lock is one of them. It controls the locking/unlocking of the gear shift. Any damage to the shifter lock and related components can prevent you from shifting the gear.
If you want to know what causes the gear shift to stuck in the park, here’s your answer. A faulty shift lock, malfunctioning ignition switch, broken shifter linkage, shift interlock solenoid failure, excessive parking pawl pressure, dead battery, etc., are the main reasons your car is stuck in park.
Let’s go through the details of each reason and find out how to identify them.
Stuck Gear Shift: Causes and Detection
In this section, we will go through the possible causes of why your gear shift is stuck. We will also tell you about a temporary fix that will help you get your car into neutral gear and keep it running until you get it fixed.
Shift Interlock Solenoid Failure
This safety mechanism is installed to prevent your vehicle from shifting while it’s in the park. The shift interlock solenoid is a metal cylinder that is connected to your car brakes with a number of wires.
If something goes wrong with the solenoid itself or the wiring, your vehicle will remain stuck in the park.
How to Detect?
You can easily detect a faulty shift interlock solenoid from your dashboard’s “Park Shift Interlock/Shift Lock Solenoid” warning light. It might go off or start blinking when the shift interlock solenoid fails.
However, if the problem is in the wiring, you need to expose the mechanism to check the circuit. For this, locate the shifter console first, as the solenoid is placed right beneath it. Use a multimeter to test the wires and both sides of each fuse. It will help you easily detect faulty fuses and wires.
Faulty Brake Switch
If your vehicle was produced after 2010, you must depress the brake pedal to deactivate the shift lock mechanism. So, the brake switch on your car must be turned on to get your car out of the park.
A faulty brake switch won’t trigger the lock system. Hence, the shift lock will remain active, and your car won’t move.
How to Detect?
You need to check the brake lights of your car to detect whether the brake switch is working or not easily. Ask a friend to check if the brake lights turn on when you depress the brake pedal.
Malfunctioning Ignition Switch
Your vehicle’s ignition key is connected to the shift interlock system. It sends an electric signal to the solenoid to remove the physical barrier blocking the gear shifter.
If the ignition key is worn-out or damaged, it won’t be able to send an electric signal to the solenoid, and the barrier will keep the gear shifter blocked, preventing vehicle movement.
How to Detect?
If the ignition switch has worn out, you won’t hear any sound from the starter when you turn the ignition key. Your dashboard light might also flicker to notify you something is wrong with the system.
Excessive Parking Pawl Pressure
When you park your vehicle on a hill, the weight of your vehicle creates a lot of pressure on the parking pawl. As a result, it wedges into the parking gears and keeps the transmission from moving.
How to Detect?
Well, there is no specific way to detect if the parking pawl has failed due to excessive pressure. If you have parked your car on a hill and the shifting gear isn’t moving, you have to muscle the shifter out of the park. That’s the easiest way to get your car moving.
Broken Shifter Linkage
When you use the shifter, a lever moves on the top of your car transmission. The lever features a shift actuator and a linkage. Sometimes, the linkage comes off from the retainer, or the plastic bushing on the linkage might break.
Besides, the shift actuator might wear out, or the nuts on the actuator can loosen. Whatever the reason is, a broken linkage or actuator prevents shifter movement causing your car to get stuck in the park.
How to Detect?
When the shifter linkage is broken, the shifter will move, but the transmission won’t get into gear. Besides, the shifter will feel loose and floppy as there’s little to no resistance.
Dead Battery
So, you’ve checked all the components related to the shifter, but everything works just fine. In this case, the issue might be with your car battery. If your car battery is out of power, the shifting mechanism will stop working and block car movement.
How to Detect?
Your car won’t start if the battery is dead. Besides, the interior and exterior lights won’t turn on without battery power. Change the car battery and get a new one to solve this issue.
Release the Gear Shift: A Temporary Fix
- You need to release the gear shift to get your car out of the park. Start by depressing your brake pedal or setting the parking brake. This way, the car will stay put when you shift the gear.
- Now, look for a small plastic button on the right or above the shifter. The button is called the shift lock override slot and will help you with the stuck gear shifter.
- Take a small screwdriver to pop off the plastic cover. Some vehicles don’t have any cover at all. You can also use a ballpoint pen if there’s no screwdriver to use in emergencies.
- Now, use the screwdriver head to push into the override slot. Keep the brake pressed while pushing the slot, and grab the gear shifter to put it back in neutral. Start your car engine, and voila! Your job is done.
Wrapping Up!
So, now you know what causes the gear shift to stuck in the park. In most cases, the failed shift interlock solenoid or the brake switch prevents the shifter from moving.
With our temporary fix, you can easily unlock the shifter and take your car to the mechanic for repairs. Besides, you can consider the symptoms we have mentioned for each problem and reduce the repair cost to some extent.
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