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2008 Cobalt - Shifter stuck in park position

4K views 6 replies 3 participants last post by  Mystik989 
#1 · (Edited)
Gear shifter locks in Park ... Works fine when originally started but after being driven and shut off for a short period of time (like 15 to 30 minutes) and then restarting it the shifter will not come out of park. It is an intermittent issue as sometimes it does works ok. The switch on the brake petal that controls the operation of the switch on the shifter seems to be working properly as i can hear the click when the brake petal is depressed, and when I am able to hear the click everything works ok, but when it does not produce a click is when the shifter is locked. Occasionally the door locks will also go up and down when pushing the brake petal, but only when it is malfunctioning. I have been able to get it out of park by triggering the switch under the cup holder at the shifter, but this is only to be able to get going again and not a fix.. Any help appreciated. Have checked the codes and shows either a PO700 or Po705 which are not much help as they list numerous related and un related items, none of which make much sense.
 
#2 ·
The P0705 makes sense. The shifter interlock depends on it being in P to release. As for the door locks I just went through that. Test your battery. Charge it overnight. Our '08 battery had a dead cell and the car acted like it was drunk.
 
#3 ·
The Battery is new as I had previous starting problems where it started fine one time and the next time there was not enough juice to even turn the motor over. Kinda like it was possessed. New battery solved that issue. .. I was thinking of replacing the brake light switch on the brake petal as it seems to be what clicks and controls the solenoid that enables the shifter to come out of park when the brake petal is pushed. Its just weird that it is fine when the car sets for a long period but usually does not work after it is driven and then sets for a short period.
 
#4 ·
Wow I’m having identical troubles on a 2008 LT. Same codes and now my traction control light and msg display alongside a CEL. won’t let me shift out of park until the traction control system disables approx 30 seconds after startup.

Also, once traction control disables, the brakes begin to make a very audible CLICK within the shifter assembly when pressing/depressing the brake pedal. It’s the damndest thing.
 
#5 ·
A quick peek at the FSM shows that there is a shift lock solenoid and a PARK switch inside the console. The BCM is what controls it's operation and disables the solenoid when you step on the brake in P. You may want to do what I did to my Dad's '95 Saturn. First you could shift out of P anytime you wanted without pressing the brake pedal. Then it would not shift out of P for love or money. So I removed the console, separated the shift lock solenoid from it's spot, grounded it, and tie-wrapped it to a safe place on the shifter assembly. That way it could work or not work however it felt like but not affect getting out of P. I left the P switch so it had to be in P to start. By not electrically disconnecting the solenoid it won't throw a code. On our '05 sometimes the solenoid clicks like crazy after starting. So far it has not prevented shifting.
 
#6 ·
I have also had a situation where I started the car and got out and shut the door and the door locked by itself with the car running and the keys in the ignition. Luckily I was at home and had a spare key available to unlock the door to get back in, otherwise I would have had no way to get back in the car to even shut off the engine or use it.. It basically locked me out with the keys inside and running..
 
#7 ·
Random locking/unlocking of the door locks was my very first electrical symptom last year so I pulled the fuse to eliminate the problem. Reading some other posts regarding similar problems, makes me think it’s all 100% one drawn out electrical problem.

my battery is currently just under 12v so I’m replacing it tomorrow, hoping that will solve this.
 
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