Symptom
Vehicle will not shift out of park
The selector refuses to leave park however firmly it is moved. Before assuming the worst, note that the interlock deliberately holds park until the brake pedal is pressed and the vehicle sees a valid brake signal — so a failed brake light switch produces this exactly, and it is far cheaper than anything in the transmission. Most vehicles also carry a manual shift-lock release, usually a small covered slot beside the selector, which frees the lever enough to move the car. On a shift-by-wire selector there is no cable to force, so pushing harder achieves nothing and can damage the assembly.
Also described as: stuck in park, won't come out of park, shifter stuck, can't get out of park, gear lever stuck, won't shift out of park, shift lock stuck, از حالت پارک خارج نمیشود, دنده از p در نمیاید, no sale de parking, no puedo quitar parking, palanca atascada en parking, ما أقدر أطلع الجير من البارك, الجير ما يطلع من البارك, أطلع الجير من البارك, لا يخرج من وضع الوقوف, الجير عالق على البارك, ما أقدر أطلع من P
Some causes mean you should stop driving
1 of the 19 codes that produce this symptom indicate a fault where continuing to drive risks damage or is unsafe. If the symptom is sudden or severe, treat it as one of those until a scan says otherwise.
What this usually means
Before assuming the worst: the interlock deliberately holds park until the brake pedal is pressed and the vehicle sees a valid brake signal. So a failed brake light switch produces this exactly, and it is far cheaper than anything in the transmission. Check whether the brake lights work — that one observation resolves a large share of these complaints at no cost.
Most vehicles carry a manual shift-lock release, usually a small covered slot beside the selector, which frees the lever enough to move the car. It is in the handbook and almost nobody knows it is there. Using it is a diagnostic as well as a workaround: if the lever then moves freely, the mechanism is fine and the fault is in the interlock's electrical side.
On a shift-by-wire selector there is no cable to force, so pushing harder achieves nothing and can damage the assembly. The lever is a sensor; if the module will not authorise the change, no amount of force communicates anything to the transmission.
The other common cause needs no parts at all. A car parked on a slope loads the park pawl against a tooth with the vehicle's whole weight, and the lever will not move it. Press the brake, rock the car slightly, and it releases — and the reason it happened is that the parking brake was not applied before P was selected.
A low or dead 12 volt battery does it too, because the interlock solenoid is electrically released. That is worth checking before the interlock is condemned.
Working through it
| What you find | Likely cause | How to confirm it | What fixes it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brake lights do not work | The brake light switch — the interlock never sees a valid brake signal | Have somebody watch the lights while the pedal is pressed. Free, immediate, and it resolves a large share of these. | Renew and adjust the brake light switch. Far cheaper than anything in the transmission. |
| Car is parked on a slope and the lever will not move | The park pawl loaded against a tooth by the vehicle's weight | Press the brake and rock the car slightly. Release confirms loading rather than a fault. | No repair. Apply the parking brake before selecting P in future and it stops happening. |
| Manual shift-lock release frees the lever | The interlock's electrical side — solenoid, switch or supply — rather than the mechanism | That the release works is the diagnostic: the mechanism moves, so the fault is the authorisation. | Repair the solenoid, switch or supply. Do not rely on the manual release as a permanent arrangement. |
| Battery flat or very weak | The interlock solenoid is electrically released and has no power to do it | Check battery voltage before anything else. This is common enough to check first on a car that would not start either. | Charge or renew the battery. The selector releases once there is power. |
| Shift-by-wire selector, no movement and no response | The selector module, its sensor, or an authorisation the module is withholding | Read selector and transmission codes. There is no cable, so force communicates nothing and damages the assembly. | Repair as the codes name. Use the vehicle's documented emergency release procedure to move it, not force. |
| Lever moves but the transmission stays in park | The selector cable has broken or come adrift, or the pawl mechanism has failed | A lever that moves with no resistance and no effect has lost its connection. Check the cable at both ends. | Renew or reattach the cable. Do not move the vehicle by force with the pawl still engaged. |
-
Brake lights do not work
- Likely cause
- The brake light switch — the interlock never sees a valid brake signal
- How to confirm it
- Have somebody watch the lights while the pedal is pressed. Free, immediate, and it resolves a large share of these.
- What fixes it
- Renew and adjust the brake light switch. Far cheaper than anything in the transmission.
-
Car is parked on a slope and the lever will not move
- Likely cause
- The park pawl loaded against a tooth by the vehicle's weight
- How to confirm it
- Press the brake and rock the car slightly. Release confirms loading rather than a fault.
- What fixes it
- No repair. Apply the parking brake before selecting P in future and it stops happening.
-
Manual shift-lock release frees the lever
- Likely cause
- The interlock's electrical side — solenoid, switch or supply — rather than the mechanism
- How to confirm it
- That the release works is the diagnostic: the mechanism moves, so the fault is the authorisation.
- What fixes it
- Repair the solenoid, switch or supply. Do not rely on the manual release as a permanent arrangement.
-
Battery flat or very weak
- Likely cause
- The interlock solenoid is electrically released and has no power to do it
- How to confirm it
- Check battery voltage before anything else. This is common enough to check first on a car that would not start either.
- What fixes it
- Charge or renew the battery. The selector releases once there is power.
-
Shift-by-wire selector, no movement and no response
- Likely cause
- The selector module, its sensor, or an authorisation the module is withholding
- How to confirm it
- Read selector and transmission codes. There is no cable, so force communicates nothing and damages the assembly.
- What fixes it
- Repair as the codes name. Use the vehicle's documented emergency release procedure to move it, not force.
-
Lever moves but the transmission stays in park
- Likely cause
- The selector cable has broken or come adrift, or the pawl mechanism has failed
- How to confirm it
- A lever that moves with no resistance and no effect has lost its connection. Check the cable at both ends.
- What fixes it
- Renew or reattach the cable. Do not move the vehicle by force with the pawl still engaged.
Codes that produce this symptom (19)
Listed with the codes that most typically present this way first — the likeliest place to start.
- P0820 Gear Lever X-Y Position Sensor Circuit Typical of this code High
- P0822 Gear Lever Y Position Sensor 1 Circuit Typical of this code High
- P0824 Gear Lever Y Position Sensor 1 Circuit Intermittent/Erratic Typical of this code High
- P0860 Gear Shift Control Module A Communication Circuit Typical of this code High
- P0861 Gear Shift Control Module A Communication Circuit Low Typical of this code High
- P0862 Gear Shift Control Module A Communication Circuit High Typical of this code High
- P08A6 Gear Lever Position Sensor System - Multiple Sensor Correlation Typical of this code High
- P0928 Gear Shift Lock Solenoid/Actuator Control Circuit A/Open Typical of this code Moderate
- P0929 Gear Shift Lock Solenoid/Actuator Control Circuit A Range/Performance Typical of this code Moderate
- P0931 Gear Shift Lock Solenoid/Actuator Control Circuit A High Typical of this code Moderate
- U0103 Lost Communication With Gear Shift Control Module A Typical of this code High
- U0291 Lost Communication With Gear Shift Control Module B Typical of this code High
- U0304 Software Incompatibility With Gear Shift Control Module A Typical of this code High
- U0333 Software Incompatibility With Gear Shift Control Module B Typical of this code High
- U0404 Invalid Data Received From Gear Shift Control Module A Typical of this code High
- P061E Internal Control Module Brake Signal Performance High
- P07E4 Unable to Engage Park Stop driving Critical
- P2299 Brake Pedal Position and Accelerator Pedal Position Incompatible High
- U0592 Invalid Data Received From Gear Shift Control Module B High
Information, not instruction
CarGeek is a reference, not a service manual. Its pages are written from public sources and from what other people have found, never from a manufacturer's own service information, so they can be wrong or incomplete for your particular vehicle. Some of what they describe carries real risk: high voltage, fuel under pressure, stored energy, hot and moving parts.
Have anything you intend to act on checked by a trained person against the manufacturer's own procedure for your vehicle. Nothing here replaces that procedure.
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