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Occasionally, my automatic transmission will not shift out of park. The release button will not go in and release the shifter. After messing with it for a while, it will start working normally. It sometimes takes a couple minutes before it will release.
Anybody have this issue?
Most with the auto from 2005 until 2013 have or will experience this. It is indeed that little micro switch in front of the shifter that gets weak or fails, and this is required to energize the lock out solenoid to disengage the shifter locking pawl. Sometimes one can get the shifter out of Park, then it will not be able to get back into Park if the locking pawl doesn't disengage completely.
Before the actual culprit (micro switch) was identified as the cause, most of us just simply tied the locking pawl back, which forever would disable it, and never have the "stuck in Park" scenario happen again.
Some of us have tied the locking pawl and ran the wire to the console, thus keeping the lock out safety in play, but able to disengage the locking pawl if required, by pulling on that wire.
I believe it shows that wire in the console on post # 33 in the attached link.
I have attached a PDF which shows how to get to and tie back the locking pawl. You can decide to either replace the micro switch, or tie back the locking pawl.
Mine is doing the same thing but with some medium pressure forward with foot on brake usually gets it to shift. I have replaced three of the whole shifter assembly’s on friends cars and it’s not hard at all. I think the new assembly is about 200.00. That’s what I would recommend.
Mine is doing the same thing but with some medium pressure forward with foot on brake usually gets it to shift. I have replaced three of the whole shifter assembly’s on friends cars and it’s not hard at all. I think the new assembly is about 200.00. That’s what I would recommend.
The action of pushing the shifter forward means that the micro switch arm in front of the shifter arm is getting weak, and has to be pushed further in to activate the lock out solenoid.
Why get another shifter assembly that in time will do the exact same thing? Either replace the micro switch with a new one, or tie back the locking pawl, either permanently or in an as needed basis.
It's an OEM flaw on the A/T shifter that uses cheap micro switches that can be bought at any Radio Shack.