Ram Dakota Car does not shift from park to drive Inspection at your home or office.

Our certified mobile mechanics come to you 7 days a week between 7 AM and 9 PM.

Estimate price near me

Service Location

Customer Ratings

(4)

How A Diagnostic Works

Instantly book a certified mobile mechanic to come to you

Mechanic diagnoses the problem and quotes necessary repairs

Your vehicle is ready to go

Fair, upfront & transparent pricing for all services

Our certified mobile mechanics can come to you now.

Customer Ratings

(4)

Car does not shift from park to drive Inspection Service

How much does a Car does not shift from park to drive Inspection cost?

On average, the cost for a Ram Dakota Car does not shift from park to drive Inspection is $95 with $0 for parts and $95 for labor. Prices may vary depending on your location.

CarServiceEstimateShop/Dealer Price
2011 Ram DakotaV8-4.7LService typeCar does not shift from park to drive InspectionEstimate$114.99Shop/Dealer Price$124.99 - $132.49
2011 Ram DakotaV6-3.7LService typeCar does not shift from park to drive InspectionEstimate$94.99Shop/Dealer Price$105.01 - $112.52
Show example Ram Dakota Car does not shift from park to drive Inspection prices

You start the car up, put your foot the brake, push the button on the shifter and it won’t shift out of park. What do you do now? Don’t force the shifter. Forcing the shifter out of park may cause more damage. The shifter is connected to the transmission in some cars mechanically or electronically. If an electrical or mechanical component has failed between the shifter and transmission, you won’t be able to shift the car out of park. A top-rated mobile mechanic will come to your home or office to diagnose the problem with your vehicle. The mechanic will then provide an inspection report detailing the scope and cost of the necessary repairs

When to have your shifter inspected or replaced:

Have this system inspected only when a part in the shifter or part of the system that operates the transmission breaks] . There is no scheduled time frame for replacing parts in the shifting system. However, all parts can wear out and have the potential to fail, and in a perfect situation, all the parts in the shifting system would last the life of the vehicle.

Symptoms that may indicate your shifter will fail include:

  • Shifter can be moved but has a lot of resistance
  • When shifting into a gear, drive or reverse, it feels difficult to find the right spot. The transmission ends up in neutral instead. You may notice that the engine will accelerate when stepping on the gas pedal but the car doesn’t move.
  • When starting the car with the key, the ignition cylinder feels loose and has play.
  • No brake lights in the vehicle, brake pedal switch could be faulty.
  • Shifter feels completely loose -- like it’s not connected to the transmission at all.

How a mechanic will inspect a car that won’t shift from park:

There are a number of reasons why a car will not move from park to drive. They can range from the shifter being locked to a broken shifter cable. Mechanics will check for these things:

  • Failed brake light switch

  • Bad shift interlock solenoid or wiring: The shift interlock solenoid is a safety feature that has been added to all modern automatic-transmission cars. It prevents the driver from shifting out of park without a foot on the brake.

  • Broken transmission shift cable: A cable connects the shifter handle to the transmission, and if that is broken, the shifter will be inoperable

  • Ignition key tumbler is worn out: The ignition switch not only starts your car, but it also locks the steering wheel when the key is taken out. In cars with automatic transmissions, a shift interlock solenoid is also part of the ignition system, and it locks the transmission so it cannot be shifted out of park (as described above).

  • Broken shifter mechanism: It is also possible that the shifter itself is broken. A mechanic will remove the center console to examine the actual shifter mechanism.

Is it safe to drive with this problem?

Since you can’t move the car without shifting from park to drive, it’s important to enlist the help of one of our mechanics as soon as possible to inspect and then repair the issue.

Fast and easy service at your home or office

Backed by 12-month, 12.000-mile guarantee


Meet some of our expert Ram mechanics

Real customer reviews from Ram owners like you.

Excellent Rating

(4)

Rating Summary
4
0
0
0
0
4
0
0
0
0

Adam

16 years of experience
64 reviews
Adam
16 years of experience
Ram Dakota V8-4.7L - Shock Absorber Replacement (Rear) - Irving, Texas
Adam is very skilled and reliable.

Steven

21 years of experience
200 reviews
Steven
21 years of experience
Ram Dakota V8-4.7L - Spark Plugs - Irving, Texas
He was great. A lot of knowledge and very productive!

Michael

4 years of experience
238 reviews
Michael
4 years of experience
Ram Dakota V8-4.7L - Starter - Greenfield, Indiana
Fast, on time knew what to do and did it!

Michael

4 years of experience
238 reviews
Michael
4 years of experience
Ram Dakota V8-4.7L - Car is not starting - Greenfield, Indiana
Michael carefully checked out problem and determined the problem, gave me a quote and set up a appointment while he was here!

Excellent Rating

(4)

Rating Summary
4
0
0
0
0
4
0
0
0
0
Number of Ram Dakota services completed
44+
services done by our mechanics
TOTAL NUMBER OF EXPERT Ram MECHANICS
300+
experts on our platform

Recent articles & questions

A Buyer’s Guide to the 2012 Hyundai Elantra
Car Car buyers looking for an economical, fuel-efficient sedan that’s also a little sporty and very attractive will love the 2012 Hyundai Elantra. Not only does it have a great list of standard features that any driver would enjoy, but...
How Long Does a Brake Light Bulb Last?
Having Having properly working lights on your car is important when driving on busy roadways. Making sure that the other motorists see you and what you are doing can help to eliminate the risk of an accident. Most of the...
How to Figure Out the Full Cost of a Car Loan
Taking Taking out a car loan is one of the most common ways to finance purchasing a car. This is especially true if you are buying a new car, which usually costs too much to pay for in cash. Buyers...

My anti theft system locked me out

It seems like your issue isn't going to be resolved without the dealership. However, there may be a couple of things we can do to resolve your issue. I will go through a couple of steps and hopefully it will...

the truck turns over and over, but will not start

If the starter motor is turning the engine over rapidly, at sufficient RPM, but the engine does not catch and run, that means that there is an ignition, fuel, air induction, or mechanical fault in the engine that will have...

All my gears work but drive and 3rd gear

Hello, thank you for writing in. The vehicle is likely experiencing issues with the transmission. The first step to take is having the vehicle scanned for diagnostic codes, and use them to help point you in the right direction. If...

How can we help?

Our service team is available 7 days a week, Monday - Friday from 6 AM to 5 PM PST, Saturday - Sunday 7 AM - 4 PM PST.

1 (844) 997-3624 · hi@yourmechanic.com