Erratic shifting mercury villager 2001

Answer 1

My mechanic says the problem might be inside the steering column, some plastic parts and gears or whatever.

I thought it might be a cable or the tranny. He says no, its where the shift lever contacts the actuators in the steering column. Bottom line, either get the innards for the steering column and pay to have them changed, or change the whole steering column.

The problem has plagued Mercury's for ever. Marquis were "shifting from park into reverse all by themselves, and rolling over children in the driveway".

I stopped at a sausage cart the other day, and was standing there waiting for my food, and the lady said, "Your van is rolling away." I had to catch it, and then stop it, then get into it and try to shift it into park.

The fix, is new parts inside the column, or a new column. Why? Because, sometimes the shifter sticks in park, and people reef on it to get it into gear, and the plastic parts inside the steering column break.

Sometimes it is hard to find DRIVE. I think I'm in drive but really I'm in 2nd.

So I keep looking for a new steering column, so I can get the parts, or replace the whole column.

It's really a time bomb.