Shift to Park Warning

[Daheim111]

I had the same intermittent "Shift to Park" problem early this year. My warranty had expired so I figured out how to fix it. It is a pretty simple problem to fix. I noticed that if you are in Park and you look on the dash where the gear indicators are, one gear is red (the selected Park gear) and the others are grey. If you push the button on top of the gear shifter (whether you shift it or not), the red P changes to grey. When you let the button out, the P changes back to red. When the shift to park problem happened, the color stayed grey whether I pressed the button in or released it. If I released the shift button gently, I could get the P to stay grey but if I released the switch firmly, it would usually change to red like it should. That told me that there must be a switch that is failing intermittently in the system somewhere. I found the little switch in the gearshift assembly about 4 inches below the shift knob. Unfortunately, Ford does not sell that switch as an individual part; they want you to buy the whole shift knob assembly which is about $130 if I remember correctly and includes a new switch. I checked the switch closely and it had the name Omron on it but no other identifying info. It took some digging, but I was able to find the exact switch and buy one online for about $10 delivered.

Here is the switch info so you can buy one if you need it:
Omron part number: D2HW-BL201H
Mouser.com part number: 653-D2HW-BL201H
Mouser.com url: http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Omron/D2HW-BL201H/?qs=HPiqXCp%2b9i1gDBhwQjHSWg==&gclid=CNDGpqCk-soCFQkwaQod70QATQ

Getting to that switch was not too bad, but it is a bit too much to try to explain that in this post. The service manuals explain how to get to the base of the shift assembly. It took me about an hour or two to get to the switch the first time but I was being slow and careful. I did have to solder the wires that were on the old switch to the new switch, so you will need minimal soldering skills to do this job unless you just buy the whole shift assembly from Ford. Additionally, I was careful to only allow the wires that connect to the switch to come into contact with the soldering iron or each other. I don't know what would happen if they came into contact with the grounded chassis (probably nothing), but I didn't want to find out. You have to remove the little lever from the old switch and place it on the new switch so that it works in the gear shift assembly. The lever is not glued in; I used needle-nosed pliers and it just pops off the old switch with a little tug.

After replacing the switch, the "Shift to Park" has not returned and that was over 10,000 miles ago so I know this fixed it.

I hope this explanation helps.

Has anyone fixed it in this matter ? Didn`t found a direct reply to this post...

 

[Daheim111]

Once again / who can help me: is the warning "Transmission not in park" (so it looks at me) the same case as "Shift to park" ???

 

[blwnsmoke]

I have never heard or seen a "transmission not in park. Can you take a picture of it?

Easiest way to see if it is the shifter is when it gives that message, flick the shifter button that you squeeze to change out of park. So not move the shifter, just flick the button a few times and see if the message goes away. If it does, it is the same thing.

 

[Daheim111]

I have never heard or seen a "transmission not in park. Can you take a picture of it?

Easiest way to see if it is the shifter is when it gives that message, flick the shifter button that you squeeze to change out of park. So not move the shifter, just flick the button a few times and see if the message goes away. If it does, it is the same thing.

Tried it / but: havn`t seen this message about one month or longer...but yes: as I former press(ed) the button quick the message disappears at once !

 

[blwnsmoke]

It is your shifter then. Instructions are in this thread on how to replace. Wouldn't be surprised if there was a youtube video by now.

 

[Daheim111]

Ok...
Post #342...will order the part from USA...

 

[Daheim111]

Here it is / this message appears when I "enter" my car and try to start, not earlier / not when I have stopped the engine...
But I understand, that the common cause is that switch !

 

[peterk9]

Time to replaced that shifter.

 

[Daheim111]

May be...but it also helps to not press the button but the hole shifter...and it appears very rarely...but that switch costs only a few $s...

 

[peterk9]

May be...but it also helps to not press the button but the hole shifter...and it appears very rarely...but that switch costs only a few $s...

Just remember that another member contributed his low battery condition to this issue. Apparently as long as the vehicle thinks it is 'Not in Park' certain electronic systems stay 'alive' instead of going to 'sleep' resulting in more current being drawn while the vehicle sits there.
Not sure if anyone can verify that but it seems to make sense.

Peter

 

[Daheim111]

New switch...

 

[FamilyFordExplorer]

Im new here and found this forum due to unfortunate issues with my 2014 Ford Explorer Sport.
When putting the vehicle in park the transmission heads up display in the dash states "Vehicle not in Park" so you have to use your trigger finger and flick the toggle on the transmission shifter 10 or 15 times to get it to register as "in park."
When you spend $30-$40 thousand dollars on a vehicle it's tough watching it fall apart! I don't know if we will keep it. Might be heading towards the Chrysler! If you can help please any information would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[PatMags]

I have had the same problem and all you need to do is to "flick" the button in the front of the lever a couple of times and it usually fixes the problem. It's the terminals on that button that are not making contact with each other.
You can also try cleaning the contacts with the compressed air for cleaning electronics. They sell it in spray cans at computer stores. I have used it in the past and it rarely give any problems any more.
Hope this helps!

Dealership replaced the shifter on my 2013 Ford Explorer, no problems since (2017).

 

[peterk9]

Dealership replaced the shifter on my 2013 Ford Explorer, no problems since (2017).

Welcome to the Forum Pat.

Peter

 

[Kpwweb]

You can just replace the switch for $5 per a posting on the Edge Forum. Works great.

 

[Merconium]

You can just replace the switch for $5 per a posting on the Edge Forum. Works great.

I assume it's this thread? Edge Shift to Park Warning Message - Recalls, TSBs & Warranty

 

[Kpwweb]

Correct, that is the thread.

 

[LukerDooker]

" Might be heading towards the Chrysler! "

...yikes...

 

[ctoppir]

You can see the change in this set of pictures.

Old shifter

New shifter

I haven't been on the forum in years. Recently picked up a 2013 Limited. It had the "Not in Park" issue so I came here to see what was known. What I learned provided me enough information to fix it in 30 minutes with no parts purchased. I was able to pop open the console and put a slight bend in the metal lever arm to force the white plastic parking pawl to make better contact with the micro switch button. I believe that over time, the loose tolerance allowed the metal to sag just a bit from use and prevented proper pressure on the micro switch button. I could not fit even the smallest needle nose pliers in there so I set the end of a Phillips head screw driver under the metal arm in the middle, then used another small flat blade screw driver to gently force down the tip towards the white plastic parking pawl. That slight bend took me from a 50/50 chance of the "P" lighting up to an immediate 100%.

 

[omar302]

I just found TSB 17-2219 which supersedes TSB 15-0047, the main thing here is the availability of a Shifter Kit switch to fix this problem. The kit for the 2011-2015 Explorer is GT4Z-3F988-B and costs only $16.23. That is a big a difference compared to changing the complete shifter.