Quote:
Originally Posted by chiefhighliner
Wow, in having 23 cars in my lifetime in 30 years, I've never heard of a transmission (auto) not letting you shift into park. Are you pressing the gear selector release button (on the shifter) all the way in as you shift into park? There just seems to be no way that it would not let you shift into park if you are holding the button all the way in. Try pressing the brake pedal as you do this, it should release the keys once you are in park. If this doesn't work, I would have it serviced immediately, this could present serious problems.
 |
its actually somewhat common on focus's
the Tab (Image below marked #2) is the culprit if it sticks in the in position it will not release the solenoid that lets the key turn to the full off position.. thats another safety feature that is used to tell you that your car is not safe to be left alone and needs attention that it could 1 be shifted out of park and 2 can pop out of park by itself
while the console is out go buy a can of contact cleaner from an auto store/electronics store that contains non conductive silicone lubricants and spray it in the cracks of the white tab then use a needle nose to free it.. the cleaner will break down the substance causing it to stick and the silicone will lub it and prevent more crap from building.. I did this once to my blue focus that would do it 3 out of 7 starts and never had a problem after that
spray it in the cracks around the white tab labeled #2
(Image is a closeup of a 2000-2004 version shifter yours may be different but uses the same methods)
