Expert: Sean Halliday - 11/4/2009

Question
1995 Saturn SL1.  The side button on my shifter lever for the automatic transmission is often hard to push in, when moving it out of PARK to reverse or drive.  I originally thought it was the cable that ran from the bottom of the lever to the ignition switch that was causing the problem.  But the problem seems to be connected with the brake pedal.  I am at a loss how the two are connected.  I have had my head under the dash and can't see the connection.  What is wrong, how can I fix this?  I know that it is a safety feature, but at this point I would be happy to eliminate it to fix the issue.  Thanks for your time.

Answer
A lot of cars are electronically controlled by solenoid and these can stick.There are some that have the cable design also and it is a lot of work to get to the cable as its under the dash and routed to the shifter/brake pedal.You will need to take off the cover for the shifter and probably the center consul then look whats happening as you push the brake or push in the button.Its possible too that the button may be worn out and simply replacing the shift lever will fix it.The lever does come off.