{"id":139929,"date":"2025-05-16T00:06:30","date_gmt":"2025-05-16T07:06:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogv2prod.wpenginepowered.com\/blog\/?p=139929"},"modified":"2025-09-30T18:34:50","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T01:34:50","slug":"gear-selector-stuck-in-park-causes-and-repair-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/gear-selector-stuck-in-park-causes-and-repair-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"Gear Selector Stuck in Park: Causes and Repair Tips"},"content":{"rendered":"<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><body><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 5<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><style>.kadence-column139929_04773a-e3 > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column139929_04773a-e3 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column139929_04773a-e3 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column139929_04773a-e3 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column139929_04773a-e3 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column139929_04773a-e3 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column139929_04773a-e3{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column139929_04773a-e3 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column139929_04773a-e3 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column139929_04773a-e3 inner-column-1 qk-look-widget\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-ultimate-post-row ultp-block-6ce8e8  qk-main-wrap\"><div class=\"ultp-row-wrapper\"><div class=\"ultp-row-content\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-ultimate-post-column ultp-block-b617c2\"><div class=\"ultp-column-wrapper\"><style>.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading139929_5bb62e-68, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading139929_5bb62e-68[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading139929_5bb62e-68\"]{text-align:center;font-size:20px;font-style:normal;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading139929_5bb62e-68 mark.kt-highlight, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading139929_5bb62e-68[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading139929_5bb62e-68\"] mark.kt-highlight{font-family:Inter;font-weight:500;font-style:normal;color:#f76a0c;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;box-decoration-break:clone;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading139929_5bb62e-68 img.kb-inline-image, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading139929_5bb62e-68[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading139929_5bb62e-68\"] img.kb-inline-image{width:150px;vertical-align:baseline;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"kt-adv-heading139929_5bb62e-68 summary-title wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\" data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading139929_5bb62e-68\"><span>Summary<\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The gear selector can get stuck in Park due to parking on an incline that binds the park pawl, not pressing the brake to release the BTSI, a failed shift interlock solenoid or its wiring, or a faulty brake light switch or wiring.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Effective fixes include confirming the brake lights work, starting in Neutral if needed, using the manual interlock override, rocking the car to unbind the pawl when parked on a hill, replacing the brake light switch or repairing wiring, and scheduling transmission service.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Always engage the parking brake before shifting to park and press the brake pedal down before shifting out of the Parking gear.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Have you ever heard stories about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/shifter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"shifters\">shifters<\/a> that become stuck and refuse to budge no matter how much the drivers pushed and pulled them? Knowing why the shifter is stuck in Park gear can help you avoid the problem and fix the issue if it happens in your car.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why Is the Gear Selector Stuck in Park Mode?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The following are the most common reasons behind the shifter stuck in Park gear:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Parking on Inclines<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Not every parking spot is on level ground. Sometimes, you can only park your car on an inclined surface. Unfortunately, parking an automatic vehicle on an incline might lead to the shifter stuck in Park mode. Some vehicles are more subject to this than others, but if the incline is steep enough, it can happen to just about any vehicle that has a Park mode and a PRNDL stick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"843\" height=\"893\" src=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/parking-pawl-locking-into-the-park-gear.jpg\" alt=\"parking pawl locking into the park gear\" class=\"wp-image-184492\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/parking-pawl-locking-into-the-park-gear.jpg 843w, https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/parking-pawl-locking-into-the-park-gear-283x300.jpg 283w, https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/parking-pawl-locking-into-the-park-gear-768x814.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/parking-pawl-locking-into-the-park-gear-150x159.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 843px) 100vw, 843px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Parking pawl locking into the transmission&rsquo;s park gear, preventing the output shaft from turning | Image Source: Richard McCuistian<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>If you park your automatic car on an incline, the vehicle&rsquo;s weight as it tries to roll can cause the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/automatic-transmission-parking-pawl\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"park pawl\">park pawl<\/a> to bind and make it hard to remove the vehicle from park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You&rsquo;ll struggle to move the shifter out of the Park gear if the parking pawl is still engaged. In the worst-case scenario, the gear shifter becomes stuck in Park or you damage or even break the shift lever mechanism using excessive force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Shifting Gears Without Pressing the Brake Pedal<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Brake Transmission Shift Interlock (BTSI) requires the brake to be applied before the car can be removed from Park. By 2006, about 80% of vehicles already had BTSI systems due to industry agreements. But the law ensured that all new vehicles would include it starting in 2010.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The<a href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/shift-interlock-solenoid\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"shift interlock solenoid\">shift interlock solenoid<\/a> is usually mounted in the console or on the shift column and it must be energized by applying the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/brake-pedal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"brake pedal\">brake pedal<\/a> to prevent the shift lever from being taken out of park unless the brake is depressed. The solenoid defaults to the position where it prevents the shifter from being taken out of park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"pro-tip-widget\">\n\n    <div class=\"pro-tip-item\">\n        <figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cld.partsimg.com\/image\/upload\/f_auto,dpr_auto,q_auto,c_pad\/carparts\/blog\/widgets\/protip\/services-icon\" alt=\", P0442 Code: Evaporative Emission Control System Leak Detected (Small Leak)\" class=\"kb-img\"><\/figure>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"protip-desc\">\n        <div class=\"help-tip\">\n        <p><strong>Pro Tips<\/strong> are nuggets of information direct from ASE-certified automobile technicians working with CarParts.com, which may include unique, personal insights based on their years of experience working in the automotive industry. These can help you make more informed decisions about your car.<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n        <div class=\"help-caption\">\n            <p>\n                <strong>Pro Tip:<\/strong>\n                Between 1978 and 1986, hundreds of Audi 5000 vehicles were reported to accelerate suddenly after being shifted out of Park. Audi and Volkswagen of America initially blamed driver error, suggesting that drivers were mistakenly pressing the accelerator instead of the brake.            <\/p>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Failing to push the brake pedal down and forgetting to press the pedal will keep the shift interlock solenoid engaged. <\/strong>Alternatively, the brake pedal might also have a problem that prevents it from going down to the floor, preventing you from turning off the shift interlock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But note that, if you drive the vehicle every day, you aren&rsquo;t likely to make that mistake. And you don&rsquo;t have to press the brake pedal all the way to the floor; you just have to engage the brake lights to activate the solenoid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bad Shift Interlock Solenoid Or Wiring<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Like any other car part, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/shift-interlock-solenoid-function-symptoms-and-replacement-cost\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"shift interlock solenoid\">shift interlock solenoid<\/a> could wear out and eventually fail. The wiring can also be damaged (like on 2000s GM cars) due to the solenoid assembly moving with the shifter and bending the wires at the connector. A damaged or worn-out solenoid might keep the shifter locked until the brake lights turn on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bad Brake Light Switch Or Wiring<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>While the shift solenoid is fine, it might not unlock the shifter when you press the brake pedal down. The problem might lie with the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/brake-light-switch\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"brake light switch\">brake light switch<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The brake light switch controls the brake lights. Stepping on the brake pedal turns on the switch, which transmits the activation signal to the lights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It so happens that the shift interlock solenoid looks for the signal from the brake light switch or from the BCM if it receives the brake light switch signal, which is very common on modern vehicles that simply use the brake light switch as an input rather than having it carry current to the brake lights and lock solenoid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Tips on How To Fix a Gear Shifter Stuck in Park<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The first step in unlocking the shifter from Park gear is identifying what caused the problem. Once you know what you&rsquo;re dealing with, you can take the appropriate steps to fix it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The smart thing to do is make sure the brake lights are working. If they&rsquo;re not, then turn the key to the position right before <em>ON<\/em>, put the gear selector in <em>Neutral<\/em>, then start the car and drive away. Some shifters will have a slot where you can put the key to push a release if the shift interlock fails. Check your owner&rsquo;s manual for this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>Warning:<\/em><\/strong> <em>Do not try to force the gear selector out of Park under any circumstances. You break things that way.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are tips on what to do when the gear selector gets stuck in Park mode because you&rsquo;re parked on a hill and the park pawl is bound up:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Rock the Car<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Is the gear selector stuck in Park because you left your car parked on an incline with the parking brake engaged? It&rsquo;s possible to free the shifter by shaking your vehicle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This approach calls for at least two people. If you&rsquo;re alone, contact someone you trust to help you or call for a tow. One of you must stay in the car and press the brake pedal. The other person should gently rock the car from outside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The rocking motion shifts how the vehicle&rsquo;s weight gets distributed. It might reduce the stress on the parking pawl, allowing the pin to move.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While the vehicle shakes, the car&rsquo;s occupant should work the shifter until it disengages from the Parking gear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Use Manual Interlock Override<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>As mentioned above, some cars usually have a safety feature that manually overrides the shift interlock. <strong>Engaging the interlock override lets you bypass the erratic shift interlock solenoid and unlock the shifter<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You&rsquo;ll need a flathead screwdriver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Check your owner&rsquo;s manual to determine if your car has an interlock override. The manual can also show you where to find the feature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A plastic cap covers the interlock override slot. Remove the cap and insert the screwdriver. Push and hold the screwdriver down. Simultaneously, step on the brake pedal and push it down. The shifter should now unlock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Replace the Bad Brake Light Switch Or Repair the Wiring<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Do the brake lights stay dark when you step on the brake pedal? A bad brake light switch is probably the reason. Fortunately, you can easily replace&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Before you replace the brake light switch, disconnect the battery. You don&rsquo;t want a short circuit damaging wiring and electronics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Most brake light switches are located on the top of or beside the brake pedal lever or under the dashboard. Detach the switch from the wiring harness, remove the bad part, and install a replacement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After installing the new brake light switch, test it by pressing the pedal and seeing if the light turns on. If the brake lights illuminate, attempt to shift out of Park gear. Otherwise, you might have to reinstall the switch or look for other issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Transmission Service<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Having a gear selector stuck in Park might indicate other issues with the transmission. Contact trusted mechanics and schedule a transmission service as early as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Tips on How to Avoid Getting the Shifter Stuck in Park Position<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are some good habits that can prevent the shifter from getting stuck in park:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Engage the Parking Brake First<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Before you shift the gear selector to Park, always engage the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/parking-brake-what-it-does-how-it-works-and-its-different-types-explained\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"parking brake\">parking brake<\/a> first. The brakes take tension away from the parking pawl, ensuring the pin can still move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Floor the Brake Pedal<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Press the brake pedal down before moving the shifter out of Park and into a new gear.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 5<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span>Have you ever heard stories about shifters that become stuck and refuse to budge no matter how much the drivers&#8230; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/gear-selector-stuck-in-park-causes-and-repair-tips\/\" rel=\"nofollow\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1651,"featured_media":159338,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1034,3749,52],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[2607,2985],"class_list":{"0":"post-139929","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-auto-repair","8":"category-braking-system","9":"category-diy","10":"entry"},"acf":{"adrotate_specific_mobile_ad":"","adrotate_specific_desktop_ad":""},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Gear Selector Stuck in Park: Causes and Repair Tips - In The Garage with CarParts.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Is the gear selector stuck in Park gear? Here are the most common reasons and tips on how to fix the issues with the shifter.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/gear-selector-stuck-in-park-causes-and-repair-tips\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Gear Selector Stuck in Park: Causes and Repair Tips - In The Garage with CarParts.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Is the gear selector stuck in Park gear? Here are the most common reasons and tips on how to fix the issues with the shifter.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/gear-selector-stuck-in-park-causes-and-repair-tips\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"In The Garage with CarParts.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/carpartscom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/carpartscom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-05-16T07:06:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-10-01T01:34:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/gear-stuck-in-park.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"CarParts.com Research Team, Richard McCuistian, ASE Certified Master Automobile Technician\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@https:\/\/twitter.com\/CarPartscom\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@carpartscom\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"CarParts.com Research Team\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/gear-selector-stuck-in-park-causes-and-repair-tips\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/gear-selector-stuck-in-park-causes-and-repair-tips\\\/\"},\"author\":[{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"$id\":\"1651\",\"name\":\"CarParts.com Research Team\",\"jobTitle\":\"Expert Automotive Writer\",\"description\":\"The CarParts.com Research Team is composed of experienced automotive and tech writers working with (ASE)-certified automobile technicians and automotive journalists to bring up-to-date, helpful information to car owners in the US. 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