Privacy

As the weather just started to get bellow 32 degrees outside my cars gear shifter button wont release to let me get out of park...it will after a few 4-5 tries of jamming the break down hard but thats it, then the car drives perfect, no tranny issues with gears, just the shifters has that issue of the release button not working

anyway to fix this? or what could cause it?

-Pat

all sorta of little problems with my car lately..=/

sktn77a

iTrader: (2)

Sounds like a mechanical problem with the gearchange interlock. I believe (luckily) this is external to the transmission. Maybe LexMex knows the details of adjusting/repairing this(?)

salimshah

Have you tried the override. Slot you insert a screwdriver/coin.

The shift linkages have a safety built in ... brake must be applied to release the lever out of park.

Salim

carguy07

Sounds like your brake light switch is not working properly. See if your brake lights are on when you have the shifter problem.

tomstep2

I had the same problem in my ES a little while back. I checked the brake lights and nothing was lighting up. I had a blown fuse for the brake lights.

The cars are designed to have the gear selector release when the circuit to activate the brake lights are completed. Most likely a fuse or bulb went out causing the circuit to no complete and then not releasing the shifter.

RX300Gary

My wife's 2001 RX has recently starting keeping me in park too. She doesn't
have a problem and when I let her work it, it worked fine for her.. go figure.
I have noticed that if I rev the engine slightly that seems to fix it, not sure
why but that's all I have found so far. Brake lights seem to work fine and
there IS a warning light on the cluster that never comes on. The problem is
very intermittant but cold weather(always > 32degF here) might be involved. It never happens except on a cold start in the morning though.

Gary

salimshah

The brake safety interlock, activates a relay-like catch, which frees up the shift lever. There is an adjustment to that relay mechanism that can be off ... just enough for temperature based metal shrinkage to bind free movement.

The over-ride that I talked about earlier forceably releases the relay. The owner manual talks about it too. It is not the solution but a byepass.

Have not heard from Pat, I hope the problem is solved.

Privacy

After checking the brake lights work perfectly and there are no blown fuses anywhere.

I am going to attribute this intermittent problem to the cold weather as before it dropped below 32 this never happened, and after I drove the car for a bit it never sticks.
I will leave this problem alone until the temperature rises again then re check if it still happens.

Like I said I have never NOT been able to get it into drive, and I have never had to use the over ride button, so I think I am fine.

Thanks guys!

Will report back in a month or two

on a side note, the RX does great in snow with some good tires!

salimshah

Try the safety override (as explained in the manual). If that works then it is a simple matter of getting the interlock adjusted.

Salim

Privacy

I tried it and it works every time, but its not like I ever NEED to use it, as waiting for 3 seconds after I depress the brake and softly squeezing the gear change button lets me move the shifter into drive

thomas1

Sounds like the solenoid is giving you a problem in cold weather. Maybe it needs to be taken apart and cleaned....

Nad1370

I run into this problem every winter.
My solution which often works is to "push" the shifter lever towards the dashboard then step on the brake.
Usually works for me.

salimshah

I thought there is an adjustment in the interlock release, but there is none. So either the relay is sticking or it is not getting energized.

Salim