# Alero stuck in gear

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/alero-stuck-in-gear/42205>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Tags:** transmissions, alero, parkingbrakes, oldsmobile\
**Created:** [January 10, 2010, 4:00pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/alero-stuck-in-gear/42205 "2010-01-10T16:00:23Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![saikkonenaa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@saikkonenaa](https://community.cartalk.com/u/saikkonenaa)\
**Post date:** [January 10, 2010, 4:00pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/alero-stuck-in-gear/42205/1 "2010-01-10T16:00:23Z")

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Daughter called last night, auto trans shifter stuck in park, shifter won’t move from park…any ideas?

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**Author:** ![wizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a87d85/32.png) [@wizard](https://community.cartalk.com/u/wizard)\
**Post date:** [January 10, 2010, 4:03pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/alero-stuck-in-gear/42205/2 "2010-01-10T16:03:39Z")

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Either the switch on the brake pedal or the shift lock mechanism has failed and must be replaced.

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**Author:** ![researcher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/edb3f5/32.png) [@researcher](https://community.cartalk.com/u/researcher)\
**Post date:** [January 10, 2010, 5:31pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/alero-stuck-in-gear/42205/3 "2010-01-10T17:31:21Z")

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Have a second person stand behind the car to see if the brake lights are coming ON. The park interlock uses that same voltage to pull the interlock solenoid back. If you are not getting the brake lights coming ON, check the brake fuse and then the brake light switch on the brake pedal arm, as ‘wizard’ suggested. It might just need adjustment.

If you listen closely to a correctly operating park interlock mechanism, you can usually hear the solenoid ‘thump’ when the brake pedal is pushed. Does she hear the ‘thump’?

Hope this helps

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**Author:** ![Roadrunner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@Roadrunner](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Roadrunner)\
**Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 2:12am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/alero-stuck-in-gear/42205/4 "2010-01-11T02:12:19Z")

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I’m going to take a shot in the dark.

I’ll bet the parking pawl is bent.