It takes about 3-4 minutes for me to shift out of park now after I start the car. No matter how hard I push on the brake, the dang stick won't shift out of park. It'll finally work after a few minutes. Anybody have any ideas?

 

dont know what to tell you man. that's a first I've ever heard about this problem??????????????

 

i had what sounds like a similar problem with my old altima. i could turn the key to on and put it neutral then start it. if i tried shifting out of park when the engine turned over, it would not budge. i had to have a shift lock pin replaced which keeps someone from shifting it without power to the car.

 

most simple possibility - there is a switch that tells the shift lever the brack is on which allows you to move it and engage the tranny. that might be going bad.
do this - start the car and turn off any noise (radio, etc) put your head next to the shifter. push in the brake a few times. you should hear a click every time you push it. if you dont hear it, its that switch. if you do hear it.....let us know and we will go from there.

 

When you park, apply your parking brake BEFORE you shift into Park. When leaving, shift into Drive and then release parking brake.
Also, if it ever gets stuck and you can't get it out of P, take a flat screw driver and jam it into the "shift-lock" slot. This would release it....there should be a notice about it in the user manual.

 

I tried that, and heard the click. Seems like after the car sits for a while, I have problems, like in the morning when I go to work. I don't know if after it "warms up", it'll work fine, but when it sits for a long time, that's when it'll give me problems. Just a theory though.

I really don't want to have to go to the dealer to look at it and pay a crapload of money.

 

replace the neutral safety switch. that should be a cheap part and will most likely solve the problem. my pin was broken so it would not shift out of park period.

 

Where is the neutral safety switch located at?

 

i will have to look in the esm when i get off work unless someone else has the info handy.

 

i did some quick research and found that the car won't start if the switch is bad? Now I'm wondering if its the switch?

 

Their seems to be two clicks when I brake, the first one, then the second one sounds like something releasing. When I get the second one, I can shift out of park. If I don't get the second one, I can't shift out of park. My brake lights work fine, so I don't think its a bad fuse or brake switch. Is it a bad shift solenoid ? HELP!!. Don't want to take this problem to dealer...

 

ok you have had the problem for a month now and havent fixed it?!?!?!?
im 99% sure its something with the shift lever assembly itself not the solenoid or anything else with the tranny.
the lever just sends a signal to the TCM which sends signal to tranny. there is something in the assembly preventing you from moving out of park.
i would run by the dealership and just tell them about it. that can probably tell you the problem and not charge you anything.

 

lol... I try to avoid the dealer at all costs. I can pull the console out and everything around the shift lever, so if I knew what the problem was I could just replace it myself, right. But, I'm gettin the feeling nobody knows so I prolly eventually go to the dealer.

 

i dont 100% know. but like i said im 99% sure its in the assembly. but i honestly dont know what to tell you exactly to look for.
so i would just run by the dealership.
try this trick - go to the dealership, stand around the service bay and smoke. eventually a tech will come out to smoke. start chatting with him, then say "btw, my car wont shift from park, what do you think it might be" most of them are pretty cool and will tell you what it might be.

 

If you are.. Stop parking on hills.. Ussually when parking on an incline with my car and putting it into park it is very hard for me to shifdt out of park.. THE TRICK.. shift from drive to park but keep your foot on the brake .. and apply the parking brake and then take you foot off the brake.

If you already do this .. in this order.. well n/m then hope this helps

 

Try putting your foot behind the gas pedal and pulling it towards you. I had a similar problem on a honda i used to own--- it may not solve a Maxima's problem, but atleast u can eliminate the odds. There was a problem with the idling and it needed adjusting. The car wouldn't shift out of park if it idled too high. The only way to get out of park (before waiting til the car warm up) was the pull the gas pedal to decrease the RPM.

 

kick the shifter....

have you tired to remove the shift lock??try that and see if it still happens

 

this has nothing to do with hills. This problem occurs everywhere.

 

I think I may have the same problem. If the car has been sitting for a while it is difficult to shift out of park. It seems that if I let the car warm up it will work fine. I can still shift but it takes some persuation, ie its not completely stuck

It think our cars are just *****y about driving while cold! LOL

 

To help somebody else who may have or in the future the same problem:

Took it to dealer today, found out the shift interlock solenoid failed. F.U.K. If I had known that woulda dunnit myself. $280 was the damage. Shiznit!

 

Good to know if mine starts to act up any more.
Thanks

 

Wow, deja vu, it feels like yesterday, almost three years to the day. I guess these solenoids only last 3-4 years. Oh well, here we go again...

 

glad you didnt go the neutral safety switch route, as it has absolutely nothing to do with getting the car out of park

 

switch on brake pedal , replace, you should hear a solonoid clicking in the center console when you press the pedal.