Q: Truck wont seem to shift into park.

asked by on December 11, 2016

Truck wont shift into park, but will downshift into all other gears. I removed the cable from the side of the trans to see if I could manually shift it into park and I can. I have adjusted the cable where you can thread a certain amount of "play" on it, however that did not fix my issue either. I am really stuck here. I know it is not due to a defective transmission, and I know its related to the cable itself but I can't seem to locate the actual problem.

My car has 156000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.

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Since the transmission does shift into park with the shifter disconnected, the problem lies elsewhere. Most likely the issue lies in the shift interlock system. It could be a faulty ignition lock cylinder not triggering the interlock system to allow the shifter to move into park as well as a neutral safety switch. The interlock mechanism itself can be the cause. If the mechanism is loose, out of adjustment, or damaged, that too can keep the shifter from moving to park. Lastly, the shifter mechanism itself may be at fault.

Have a certified technician diagnose why the vehicle will not shift into park to isolate the exact cause.

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