[ItzBandit]

I got into my car the other day, started it up, and tried to put it into drive but it won't shift out of park. If the engine is not running and the key is in the run position, I can shift it without a problem. Also, I noticed my brake lights are not working and I have heard from a couple people that as a safety precaution the car will not shift when there is a problem with these lights. Any ideas as to what would cause this? The fuse is fine for the brake lights and I am assuming it must be a grounded out wire since both lights aren't working. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks,

[SaleenGT2001]

check the fuse.

if the fuse pops again you will have a bad brake light switch.

[imblown-ru]

do you hear the click of the shift lock when you press the brake? should be coming from down bythe shifter, and should be pretty noticeable if its working. Just push the brake down a little bit and listen.

[triggz]

Theres a small steel cable that runs from the brake pedal to the shifter base that prevents moving from park without depressing the brake... Pull off the trim piece around the shifter and press the brake, you will see the cable on the righthand/front side of the shifter base

[tomustang]

Bang down on the handle a few times and try it then, your handle head might be loose and lifted

[elite130]

I had a problem on my '98 exactly like this...If you look under your dash on the brake pedal arm, you will see a switch with a couple wires coming off of it. That is the switch that makes your brake lights go on and allows you to switch out of park on an Auto. On mine, one of the wires was pulled out of the switch (I guess I probably hit it with my foot or something). All I had to do was to push the wire back in and drive it to the dealership, or auto part store, and buy a new switch for around $15 or so. It is an easy swap. But like you found out, the brake lights dont work if this switch isn't working properly, so be careful. Hope this helps you out.

[davergt]

what he ^^^^^^ said, i had the exact problem.

[svttech76]

it's the brake light switch.

[davergt]

what he said ^^^^^^^^^^

[RandyStinchcomb]

there is also a "shift inter-loc solenoid" on the shifter, we sell quite a few of these for other Fords wth the same problem. part # F6ZZ-3F719-AC