DonEL

I just had my 05 automatic fixed. They replaced the shifter but the Technician wasn't happy with the feel of it so took it back out and checked further. He found that the cable was also shredded. Had to use a flashlight to look toward the rear to actually see it. My extended warranty picked up the bill but as I recall it was under $500 for shifter, cable and labor. If you take it out be sure to check the cable. It would have left me standed had the Tech not found it.

DonL

LS WON

Had my automatic shifter also replaced under GMPP extended warranty which will expire in December. Do you think it's worth extending the GMPP warranty?

keyplyr

As said above, sometimes it isn't all the way in Park, so release the button, then push it up a little bit and try again.

However, be careful. It's easier than you think to snap the shifter cable. Happened to me. Looking back at the time it happened, I remember forcing the shifter before I had fully depressed the button... bang - snapped the shifter cable.

Good news is the cable costs about $12 bucks. Bad news is a dealer will rip you off. Where I live, the dealer was the only place I could get it done. I had no idea what was actually wrong... just that I couldn't get it in reverse - only neutral & drive.

The dealer charged me $1200. Yup, insane right? They said it was expensive because they had to remove the center console

I told them I've had the console out 2 or 3 times and do it with one hand. Then they changed their story and said the steep charge was because when the cable snapped it caused additional damage to the shifter mechanism itself.

When I picked up the car I asked to see that damaged shifter mechanism but of course they couldn't find it.

Ask me why I hate GM dealers so much... go ahead ask me.

jenward74

Glad I found this thread. Just started having this problem today. Actually, it began with "Service Active Handling System", which I have seen before and need to get checked per the TSB. Then the cruise control would not activate, which I attributed to the Active Handling problem. Had to stop for an errand, got back in the car and it wouldn't shift out of Park. Wiggled, pushed, cussed, googled from Iphone. Finally killed the engine, put the car in "Accessory Mode", shifted from Park to Neutral, started the car, shifted to Drive, and went on down the road. "Active Handling" cleared but still no Cruise Control. Got to destination, killed the car and tried to start over, still won't shift out of Park with engine running. Thank God for GMPP, will be visiting dealership first thing in the a.m., IF I can get the darn thing out of Park again...

hongkongstewy

have an 05

COURTY05

I am having the same issues here as we speak... I also have an 05 coupe with only 42K miles on it. I finally had enough of it and dropped it off at the chevy dealership this morning. It's starting to become a major nuisance happening a good 75% of the time it seems anymore. It took 20 minutes this morning to get that thing out of park so that I could get to work !! I have tried everything.....

Of course when i got it to the dealership this morning it worked fine... My vette has been in there hands since 8am and it isn't acting up any for them - go figure! My vette does have an extended warranty on it thank god, but until they find the problem they won't fix it. I guess since they see that I'm a "girl" that I obviously don't know a thing or two. And since it's coming out of park for them, pretty sure i'm looking crazy to them right about now! HA!

After hearing from everyones experiences it seems that it is the shift solenoid that needs to be replaced. I've relayed this information to the dealership, but since they aren't having any issues with the shifter they don't see a need it seems or the proof to have to get inside that shifter console to figure it out! Lazy bums! This is so frustrating!

Road Rage

First rule of being a Technician:

1. Verify the customer's complaint.

Sucks I know, I hate having to write down the dreaded "Unable to Duplicate" but it is what it is.

LS WON

They replaced the whole shifter. I was told it would have cost $300 if I had no warranty. After that no more "shift to park" before shutting car down.

keyplyr

Well $300 sounds a lot better than $1200. As I said my dealer is beyond ridiculous.

I still need to put the car in Park to turn it off. Maybe it's because mine is an '5 A4.

LS WON

I had a similar problem in that it was the opposite. When I put it in park it said "Shift to park" I had to push the button a few times. Finally I got tired of this and had dealer replace auto shifter which took care of it under GMPP extended warranty.

LS WON

Mine is a 2005 A4 also.
It was done and covered under GMPP extended warranty which expires in December.

keyplyr

If they replaced the shifter, maybe you got a newer type that doesn't require the Park requirement. Maybe my shifter was the older type? Just an idea.

LS WON

I don't know but I did put up with that nonsense for at least two years. The first attempt they did was to replace some type of unit underneath the car that looked like a typewriter cartridge but that didn't do the fix so about a year or two later I sent it back in to dealership and they replaced shifter under GMPP extended warranty.

LS WON

Mine got more frequent too except it was putting it back into park which went in just fine it is the warning light that came on "shift to park"
Also got message "Recalibrating Active Handling" which comes up every so often.

LawyerJoe

I just spent $900 fixing the problem. The prior posts about the lockout switch in the shifter assembly are true. The last time it gave out in park at a gas station. Had to have tow truck with tire dollies move it. It only gets worse. I was able to knock it a few times, but that only worked for a few months.
The assembly comes out from inside the car.

sjvetters

Pretty embarassing for my wife when she stopped to get gas and her '05 Vette would not start info flashed "fob not found" instead of "shift to park" like all the others posted. So when she called me I thought it was a weak battery in the fob, so I told her to put her fob in the glove box like the manual says still nothing... so I drove 20 miles to her to try my fob...nothing happened...tried everthing like everbody else did to get it out of park so as to move it out of the way, frustrated I resorted in callling for tow, waiting I sat half in on the passager side of the car and started rocking the car back and fourth and all of a sudden warning beeps went off... told my wife to try to start the car, it started and finally got it out of park and moved it before the tow came. I figured the back fourth motion moved a gear go figure...I thought these things only happened to FIAT's.....fix it again Tony...

choprfgr

I have recently become an expert on this issue.

I replaced a shifter on an 06 and it stuck in Park.

First - the Park interlock to brake pedal can be defeated.
the one I removed had a hole drilled in the pawl and a wire
keeping it from engaging. I was wondering why - tested the
solenoid and it was not operational.
Second - you can energize the solenoid by applying 12V to the little 2
pin connector. I used a defunct aux port charge plug and
connected to the solenoid connector. Start car - plug into
cigar lighter - move from Park -unplug cigar lighter.
Once the shifter is moved from Park it is mechanically
defeated.

LS WON

Had my shifter replaced after experiencing this for a few years except mine kept saying "shift to park" and it was already in park

LS WON

I had heard that the R/T Challenger with auto stick trans with MDS were blowing off their timing chains.

LS WON

What is the reason for this? Less stress on transmission? Then is it the reverse process when you put it into park release parking brake first?