2004 Ford Explorer V8 - stuck in park when parked on a slope

Maintenance/Repairs
1

I got a “good deal” on an Explorer and fixed a handful of problems, but discovered that it gets stuck in park. This only happens when it’s parked on a slope and the parking brake isn’t stomped down before putting in park and letting off the brake pedal. When pressure on the wheels/drivetrain is relieved by pushing the vehicle upslope or by jacking up a front wheels or two, then it comes out of park easily. (I’ve got a little bottle jack in the vehicle for such instances, but only have to use it when I forget to stomp the parking brake down.)

When I got the vehicle one of the problems was that the parking brake was completely loose. So I think the problem was originally caused by the previous owner always putting it in park and then letting the transmission take all the strain when parking on slopes.

If anybody has ideas what exactly the problem is and how to fix it, I’m all ears.

2

And that is your answer. Fully engage that parking brake BEFORE putting it in park and you’ll be good to go.

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3

Tester

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4

I’m wondering if you use your parking brake all the time or just on a hill. You should be using it all of the time, which should make it a habit that’s harder to forget.

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5

Is this an AWD (full time 4wd)??
If so are all 4 tires the exact same make and model and tread depth within about 3/32 of each other??
The transfer cases are picky on the full time (AWD) on those rwd based Explorers…