[david barlow]

anybody help ,i have a 98 frorrester turbo, auto, bin great for couple of years.
out of the blue it refuses to go into park,
all other gears work fine, so that means i cant get my keys out,
have to leave them in ignition and lock door with spare key,
any ideas,

 

[good dog]

You can remove the cover underneath the steering column and right by the ignition switch assembly is a little lever you push while turning the key. That should get it out. You may want to leave the cover off or carry a screwdriver in the car if it happens again.
According to my mechanic this usually only happens once or twice, so you may want to hold off replacing the ignition switch.
As to the shifter not going into Park. Have you tried moving the car, then putting it in Park? Have you had the console cover off for cleaning or anything? Just the littlest amount of the cover being out of place can prevent the shifter from going into Park. You can also try the the shifter relase button under the cover surronding the shifter. This procedure is actually for releasing the shifter from Park but can also be used to check that the button is releasing then returning to it's proper position. Once you lift the cover up, there is a small hole at the front of the shifter, press a small screwdriver in there and see if the shifter will go into Park, this might be a good time to have an extra pair of hands around.
Keep us informed as to how it turns out.
Cheers

 

[david barlow]

thanks good dog ,the key is not a problem as it should come out when i get into
park,i,ll have the cosole off over the next couple of days and lett ou know

 

[david barlow]

had console off, problem was the relay that allows the shifter to go into park when you put your foot on the brake , it was sticking, freed it off and operated it a few times and
it seems to have done the trick, couldnt see what initialy caused it but its ok now.
at least i found out what the little black button that comes through the console near the shifter is for, a release button, i have been wondering what it did since i,ve had the car, as i cant read japanese anyway thanks for your help