car won't shift out of park
 

happy new year everyone!

i have been having transmission problems with my 97 Millenia S since last may. i had the transmission rebuilt in may, then, on a road trip from TX to CA in oct, my transmission died (2nd & 4th were completely gone according to the mechanic). i had the work done at an aamco in Texas, and it was still under warranty, so the aamco in AZ (where my car broke down) rebuilt it again. i got to CA and 10 days after AZ fixed it, it went again. took it to an aamco in Los Angeles and had it fixed yet again. been driving the car for maybe 2 weeks. i was going to take the car in for the 10 day transmission check up today. the transmission seems to be acting a little wonky again, but that is a whole other issue. i think. my issue today is...

car was driving just fine yesterday. as i was running errands in the evening, i noticed that the gear shift seemed, for lack of a better word, tight. when i got home and put my car in to park, i could not get the key out of the ingition. i moved the gear shift back and forth a few times, put it back in park and the key came out. i thought that was strange, so i put the key back in the ignition and tried to shift gears. no luck. couldn't push the button, fear shift won't move. triple a came to tow the car this morning. he tried using the shift override to get the car in neutral. that did not work. he said it may be the brake sensor and that aamco should have fixed this the third time they rebuilt my transmission.

is this true? is the brake sensor a transmission related issue? i am getting to the point where i do not trust what mechanics tell me. any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

thank you!

RE: car won't shift out of park
 

all automatic transmissions have a lockout so it cannot be started in gear. it must be in park or neutral. this is controlled by the neutral safety switch. also, in order to shift the millenia out of park, the ignition must be on, and the brake engaged. this electronically releases it. you need to keep a file on this repair, sounds like aamco needs to try again. and keep trying, till they get it right. see if they have a rent car clause. good luck

RE: car won't shift out of park
 

i sat in my car for an hour this morning with the tow truck driver trying all sorts of different things to get it out of park. ignition on, brake down. engine on, brake down. engine on, tool in the override, brake on...thing just would not budge. oh, and he did something under the dash that made my brake lights stick on.

so are you saying that this is, in fact, a transmission issue? might the shiny puddle of transmission fluid found under my car after it was towed away be a bad sign? i just don't want to give aamco any more of my money if this is something that should be under warranty.

as always, thanks for your seemingly endless knowledge...

RE: car won't shift out of park
 

are you paying them every time you take the car back? you should see an attorney. here in dallas, they have an attorney referral service; you call the service, and tell them your problem. they refer you to a qualified attorney in your area. the fee for this is like 20 bucks, and you get 30 min of consultation. i have done this a couple of times, once, when i called the attorney i was referred to, he just told me over the phone what my options were, no charge. then, if you want them to pursue, you have to pay a retainer. you should read your contract with aamco and see what your coverage is.
also, dunno if you tried this, but on the right side of the shift lever, there is a small hole that is covered. the cover is almost completely round, then there is one side that is flat. this is there in case the car gets stuck in park. insert a screwdriver in there, and press down. this will release the interlock, and the car can then be shifted out of park. i had to use this a couple of times when my wife would stop and get the mail. the parking spaces were on an incline, and when she put it in park, the gears would lock up.

RE: car won't shift out of park
 

no, they have not charged me for any repairs to the transmission. they gave me a loaner car for a month while they were trying to figure out what had gone wrong the first 2 times i had my transmission rebuilt. now i can't help but think that maybe the transmission just can't be fixed. i mean, this is now the 4th time since last may...?

and we tried and tried to release the interlock (i was referring to it as "override"). no luck. to be honest, when i was using the screwdriver and pressing down, it did not feel like anything was happening...i was expecting to feel like i was pushing a button.

is there such thing as a brake sensor something-or-other that sends a signal to the gear shift? that's what the AAA guy said it might be. but that doesn't really explain why the interlock release didn't work...

RE: car won't shift out of park
 

iirc, the interlock was a pita to move. it took a lot of force. the transmission has a separate control unit, i think it lives in the right side kick panel. it must talk to the main ecu, and get at least a signal from the neutral safety switch. perhaps the trans ctl unit is fried? just a wag here

RE: car won't shift out of park
 

so they are telling me that i need a shifter lock actuator...? all said and done it will cost me in the neighborhood of $300. can you tell me if this is a real thing?

RE: car won't shift out of park
 

i dont feel like reading all the above posts, but did you try the 'shifter lock'
on some models, its just a little slot where you put your car key in to be able to move the shifter. most of the time, its located near the shifter...