Stuck in park

[menmy6cats]

I have a 2004 and I can't get it out of park. I called the dealership and they couldn't tell me how to do it either or anything to check. It is backed into my driveway so I don't even know how to get it towed since they can't put it in neutral.

Anyone know of anything I can do!

 

[Charlie]

Is it sitting on a hill? It might be jammed in park because of that.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! You should hear a click when you step on the brake pedal. This click is a small solenoid which disengages the shift arm in the column as a safety precaution to prevent you from going into gear without holding the brake pedal first.

 

[dford]

My 03 does this if I park it on a hill (tail pointing downhill) I had a friend "rock" the car forward and back by hand while I tried to disengage park with the engine idling and it worked. There is also an opening on the bottom of the steering column that you can insert a screwdriver into to release it when it is stuck (be careful because the car will roll away) and the procedure is described in the owner's manual.

 

[cowboy dave]

2003 Explorer Stuck in Park

I had this happen on my 03 Explorer. It was a broken wire on the electrical connector that attaches to the brake switch. Very difficult to see. With a test light, confirm that you have 12 volts on one of the wires. If you do, short the two wires together. Check to see if you have brake lights, then start the truck to see if it solved the problem. If that worked, chances are you will need to clean or replace the brake switch. Also, there is an emergency bypass on the bottom of the steering column that you rotate counterclockwise to allow you to put a screw driver into it. With the vehicle running, and your foot on the brake, gently push a screw driver into the opening and move your shifter. At least you will be able to drive it home/to the shop. You will not have any brake lights until it's repaired. I simply spliced a new chunk of wire to the connector and am still running it. Good luck. Tracing electrical problems is the toughest part of any repair.

 

[Diff Whack Daddy]

Step on the brake and see if your brake lights come on. This will tell you if your brake light switch on the brake pedal is working or if the fuse is blown. The same power is used to disengage the gear selector unlock mechanism to pull it out of park.

You can also try turning key to on, don't start, and see if it will shift to neutral. If so, shift to neutral and start it, then you can go into drive or reverse. This will also tell you if it is a brake switch issue.

 

[jakedrew]

happened to my o4. was some shifter solonoid deal.

 

[BigRondo]

Please note............this is a 2 1/2 year old thread............
Posted via Mobile Device

 

[Diff Whack Daddy]

Well at least he finally got his question answered.

 

[BigRondo]

Well at least he finally got his question answered.

I guess you're right!! lol

 

[rokr1292]

Bringing back an old thread again. Are thes procedures the same/similar to what they would be for a 2001 sport trac? Im stuck in park and I just replaced the brake switch, and im confused.

 

[sick50ford]

bumpers!

this just happened to my wife and i had to rescue her from the market.

thanks for the help!

 

[sideorder007]

I had the same problem. Thought it was due to the Parking Prawl after parking on incline, but after reading some similar issues on the web I found out it was a very simple solution. I have a 2003 Ford Explorer underneath the steering column you will see a small cover that will rotate and allow you too stick a narrow flat head screw driver through the opening. First turn the key to accessories "Don't start the car". Then push the screw driver into the slot. Then take car out of park and select Neutral then start the car. By pushing the screw driver into the slot your just pushing an override switch so no need to jam the screw driver up there hard. Hope this solved the issue. Now drive your vehicle to Ford and have switch replaced.

 

[lazaruslonge]

Same thing has just happened to my 2000 Explorer XLS. No incline, wheel isn't locked, brake lights come on just peachy when I depress the brake pedal.

I'll be checking the solenoid tomorrow, and will have to look for the 'bypass' under the steering column as well.

My workaround might work for other folks, figured I'd post it.

1. Key in the ignition
2. Foot on brake
3. Keep your foot on the brake!
4. While turning the key to 'Start' (engine turning over at this point) use your other hand to move the column shifter into gear (neutral would be great, but I usually stopped at reverse - hence the "keep your foot on the brake!".

Moving the shifter while the engine is turning over seems to bypass that solenoid / locking mechanism.

~Cheers~

 

[lazaruslonge]

Quick follow up:

Can't find the 'release' under the steering column, but I did figure out that if you turn the key and stop 1 click before "ACC" (the accessory 'on' setting which is just before *CRANK*) you can put the car in neutral.

I probably shoulda figured that out before

 

[jwh1056]

My truck has this same issue, I have't had a chance to dig in to it yet did any one get a solution yet.

 

[sideorder007]

I had the same problem but if your 2004 is the same as my 2003 all you need to do is. look directly underneath your steering column and you will see a slide away cover. slide it over and place a small screwdriver in the hole. Push up slightly and if I remember correctly you should be able to move the shifter to neutral and then start the car. Or it was vise versa you can start the care now in the parked position and then move gear selector. Don't force anything as this should release the stop and let you move the gear selector easily.

 

[lazaruslonge]

Replaced the #9 fuse (Brake Pedal Position Switch) and the problem was resolved.

I had another problem, however, which I didn't believe to be related - my blower motor (heater / AC fan) wasn't coming on. After I fixed the shifter issue, I removed the blower motor (after taking out all the other stuff that one has to remove to get to it) and the blower motor itself tested out fine when hooked up to 12v. Since the fuses and relay all looked fine, I decided to replace the resistor. That did the trick, so I put it all back together. Tested again, didn't work.

What?

Took it all back apart, put the old resistor block in, and....

It worked fine.... Put everything back together - still worked fine! Yay, right?

No. Shifter was stuck in park again. But hey, the blower motor was working, and I had places to be, so went back to shifting into Neutral prior to cranking the car for a few days.

Next chance I got, I replace the #9 fuse again.... Car shifts fine again.... and the blower motor doesn't work. Again.

I'm guess I have a short somewhere?

Really, really frustrating.

 

[reepeet]

I had the same problem. Thought it was due to the Parking Prawl after parking on incline, but after reading some similar issues on the web I found out it was a very simple solution. I have a 2003 Ford Explorer underneath the steering column you will see a small cover that will rotate and allow you too stick a narrow flat head screw driver through the opening. First turn the key to accessories "Don't start the car". Then push the screw driver into the slot. Then take car out of park and select Neutral then start the car. By pushing the screw driver into the slot your just pushing an override switch so no need to jam the screw driver up there hard. Hope this solved the issue. Now drive your vehicle to Ford and have switch replaced.

No just drive to GM dealer-----lol