There are two switches that have to be activated before the park lock is released. The first is on the brake pedal, the second is the thumb button on the shifter. Most often the brake pedal switch is the problem, it can be pushed back and forth in its mount, sometimes it gets pushed to far and no longer switches when the pedal is depressed. You can also use the emergency release and shift out of park anytime. There is a plastic "ring" around the base of the shifter, in most cars it is black, in cars with wood grain trim pieces it is wood grain. The best way to get it out is to unscrew the center console and push it up from the back, you can pry it up buy you may break the tabs that hold it in. When this piece is out, look down at the front of the shifter base, there is a hole a pen will fit down into. If you push a pen, pencil, or any small round straight object down into that hole, it will mechanically release the shifter lock and allow you to get out of park. My daughter drove her 96 Legacy that way for months until I got around to fixing the brake switch.
Do you here a clicking sound from the shifter when you push the brake pedal. if not check the switch on the brake pedal. good luck
I had this problem and a couple of days my gearbox blew and i was stuck on a hill so i reccomend that you get it check cos yeah i ignored the problem and now my poor car stuck in the driveway waiting for a new gear box
3,992 views
Usually answered in minutes!
The shifter sticks in park and it does click. After playing with the shifter by pressing the button a hundred times it finally moves into gear. Switching gears after that is not a problem. This has started happening since it has gotten cold. If the car is warm getting it out of park is not an issue.
I have this same problem, I do hear the clicking sound everytime I depress the button on the shifter. I can get it out of park after trying a hundred times. Shifting after that intial stick is not a problem. If the car has been used recently it doesn't stick either. This has only started happening since it has gotten cold outside (no idea if that has anything to do with this issue but thought it was worth a mention)
I have a 2002 Subaru Legacy wagon that has started having the same problem. It startedabout a month ago and usually is at its worst when its cold out after the car warms up the problems subsides, but initially you have to pull hard on the shift knob to navigate from park to reverse and drive. Does anyone know what is causing this??
I have to push the release button several times to get my car out of park, I can hear clicking when I press the brake but the button does not release.
The clicking sound is apparent when you push the button, but my Impreza also doesn't shift when cold until you try to press the button quite a few times.
I also have a 97 Subaru legacy that won't come out of park!
i have a 95 subaru legacy sedan about 217843 miles and it has started to have this same problem i have to depress the break pedal about a hundred times untill both clicking sound in the dash and the shifter happens to be able to shift it... i will shift fine when i drive for more then a half hour to hour... could it be a break fluid problem?
What is it if you can't get it into park? The brake light switch is fine. The car is a 1997 Subaru Legacy, front wheel drive.
automatic trans wont shift out of first
×