If it is a manual then maybe the synchro gears in the gearbox are buggered or possibly the gearbox oil is too low, if it is an auto, maybe the torque converter is stuffed, really need to know wether it is manual or auto (or some fancy kinda new gearbox)
Check your Brake Light Switch. Some Safety systems Ford uses relies totally on that switch. maybe you parked on a hill and put the gears in a bind push car uphill and try if that fixes it then start using the thing that was put in to keep that from happening parking brake there may be an interlock switch that doesn't allow the car to be shifted out of park unless the key is in and turned to start or run on the ignition switch. try changing the fuse that controls the switch and ur brake lights On my Ford Escort '93 parts car the metal shaft where it goes into the transmission actually seized up. We broke the shifter cable trying to shift it and had to use a pry bar to shift it to drive. I moved off front yard where it had been for sale for weeks , then junked it after stripping parts since town zoning was bugging us. There is a way to manually by-pass the electric switch tho, there is a little cover over a tiny slot to the right of the shifter on the black plastic top trim, you pry that off and stick in a flat bladed screwdriver straight down and push to unlock the electric switch, thus allowing you to shift to neutral were you can start the car, then switch to drive or reverse. == I have a '93 Ford Escort LX 1.9 that will not shift out of park without first starting the car and then applying the brake and then shifting out of park. Usually a '93 ford escort has on it what is called a shift-interlock solenoid.
I'm having the same thing with my'93. So far I know its related to the brake lights not working. Its the shift inter-lock.
On console shifters, the linkage from the brake pedal gets cokes and coffee spilled on it and woh't move. TAke the console out and clean the linkage.
Your steering column is locked. how do you fix it
check your fuses. one of em will stop it coming out of park but i cant remember which one so check em all
could be the clutch cable is broke/stretched or the cable is not disengaging the throw out bearing from the pressure plate.
Try putting your foot on the brake and then shifting. Cars are amazing pieces of machinery and can have some interesting problems every now and then.
your linkage might be bent
I had the problem with my 2000 regal 2x. They replaced the ignition, which did not work. I went up north and a friend worked at the gm dealer. He said it was the solenoid in the shifter. He replaced the shifter and guess what, it worked!! AnswerActually, I had this happen to my 94 sable and I was trying to get the key out for a while. Make sure the car is in PARK or the key won't come out.
By itself, the thermostat would have to be stuck closed causing a severe overheat condition to cause a loss of power.
It could be out of gas.
Either no spark or no gas
There are several things that can cause your 1996 Ford Explorer to stall in start hard. The most common cause is a fuel pump that is going bad.
A broken spring retainer in the shifter.
The most common cause of the shifter to be stuck in park is a broken spring retainer in the shifter assembly. The only fuse that could cause that would be the brake lights fuse. If you have brake lights, it is not a fuse problem.
Maybe brake shift cable from brake to gear shifter?
Most likely the shifter bushings are worn making it bind
There is a part called the Shifter Sheet by Suzuki. This rubber part sits below the shifter ball in the top of the t-case. When it dries up and crumbles away the t-case shifter can get stuck. A new part is only a few dollars and is easy to replace. If you have this issue, you also probably have a sloppy shifting 5 speed transmission. A new "shifter bolt" will fix this issue.
first most obvious, make sure the transfer case is not in neutral. If the shifter is stuck in one position you can access the floor panel over the shifter, then remove the shifter, sometimes when worn or loose they can become stuck and you can fix it by lifting the shifter out of the trans. Lastly, and you would probably already suspect this, the clutch is gone, but you would have had a lot of issues and slippage leading up to a complete failure.
Check the neutral safety switch on the shifter. If you place the shifter into neutral or push the shifter harder into the park position, this may change the switch position to allow it to start. There is a recall on the grand Cherokees for this switch.AnswerCheck the battery, i had the same problem once and it turned out to be one of the cells in my battery had gone bad
Check fuses, and check the shifter lock switch on the brake pedal.
I had the problem with my 2000 regal 2x. They replaced the ignition, which did not work. I went up north and a friend worked at the gm dealer. He said it was the solenoid in the shifter. He replaced the shifter and guess what, it worked!! AnswerActually, I had this happen to my 94 sable and I was trying to get the key out for a while. Make sure the car is in PARK or the key won't come out.
Auto-choke is stuck open
Two items that might prevent the shifter from moving: # Ignition key lock. If this mechanical part isn't releasing the mechanism to the transmission lever, the shifter will not move. # Brake pedal switch. On some cars, one must depress the brake pedal in order to release the shifter out of Park. Could be a defective switch for that, too.
it is stuck in 1st and the shifter is broken SOMEWHERE it might even be inside the trans. their are shifting forks inside the trans.