Gabe Posted May 22, 2020 Share Posted May 22, 2020 My shifter got stuck in the park position, but the transmission stayed in neutral with the dashboard screen in park. With the car still on I had a friend check the brake lights and noted the top 3 turned on but the bottom 2 didn't. I turned the engine off, noting a constant clicking noise, and left it for the day as I had to attend another thing. The next day I found the battery dead so I jumpstarted it. The dashboard screen said Normal Mode, then showed it was in N - keep in mind the shifter's physical location was still in park. With the engine on, I manual released the shifter interlock and shifted into drive and then into sport(low gear) and the dashboard screen highlighted drive and then sport. The transmission also shifted into low gear at the same time as expected. However, when I shifted back into neutral, the transmission and dashboard screen stayed in low gear. So I turned the car off, but noticed I couldn't remove the key until I brought the shifter back to the park position. Bringing it back to park got it stuck again and would not move unless I manually released the interlock. I attempted to start the engine again however, it would not start. When inserting the key, the dashboard screen is still in low gear, with the shifter in the park position, and the transmission in an unknown state. I realized that the clicking noise was the interlock releasing and engaging and I'm speculating that the solenoid could be faulty - and the battery died because it continued to release/engage the lock all night. The brake switch could also be faulty, however would I have been able to start it the first time if it was? The switch was still turning 3/5 of the brake lights. Another simple thing are the fuses for the rear lights - however I could not find the cargo fuse box anywhere on my van, and would like confirmation that all TCs have this fuse box before tearing into the wall and floors. This has become an interesting troubleshooting process with a lot of components that I have not had much experience with. Any advice, or shared experiences would be much appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osco Posted December 16, 2020 Share Posted December 16, 2020 Yesterday My shifter got stuck in the park position, but the transmission stayed in neutral with the dashboard screen in park No noises, nothing. tried everything, not able to change anything. Towed to Ford dealer.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
windguy Posted December 16, 2020 Share Posted December 16, 2020 2 hours ago, Osco said: Yesterday My shifter got stuck in the park position, but the transmission stayed in neutral with the dashboard screen in park No noises, nothing. tried everything, not able to change anything. Towed to Ford dealer.. Sorry to hear about your woes. What year is your TC? Could your problem be related to the one outlined in the linked thread below?? Please keep us posted on what happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osco Posted December 17, 2020 Share Posted December 17, 2020 Ford called me, It was a broken shifter cable bushing set. Van Is ready to pick up. Total repair cost was $164.00 I am happy. 128,000 miles and still on the original brake pads, go figure. 1st 20k miles unknown, next 80k miles 75% Interstate 25% city. last 28,000 in the mountains of NC Brake Inspection at 116k showed just under 50% pads remaining,, wowza ! I will be buying ford brake pads ONLY... This has been the most trouble free vehicle I have ever owned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G B L Posted December 17, 2020 Share Posted December 17, 2020 16 hours ago, Osco said: will be buying ford brake pads ONLY The most important thing is to stay south of Virginia and your brakes will last and last. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WillMartin Posted January 27, 2021 Share Posted January 27, 2021 I had a similar thing happen recently, but the cause was different. I parked the van, got out, did what I was doing, then went to put the transmission in drive. The shifter wouldn't budge. So, I used the override by poking a small screw driver down into a hole next to the shifter to get it into gear. I thought it was the interlock solenoid on the shifter. It wasn't. Then it was the switch on the brake pedal because the brake lights didn't come on either. It wasn't. Turns out, the high mount brake light was shorted out and was busy smoking the wiring. The dealer figured it out, which means they are doing the work and it ain't cheap! But, at least I don't have a shifter to replace. If the solenoid goes out, I'll look into bypassing it. Why replace the entire shifter for an interlock solenoid? The old vehicles I have driven for decades never had an interlock, so I'm used to paying attention. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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