This is so weird. I have taken my 1998 Kia Sephia to 4 different mechanics and none of them can figure this one out. I just had the engine and brakes replaced recently. I also take great care of my car. The problem is, whenever the car is in park - ONLY when it’s on park - there is a buzzing sound that comes from the area of the shifter. (The car is an automatic but the gear shifter is in the middle console, not by the steering wheel). Now, if I press on the brakes, the buzzing stops, even when the car is in park. But when I don’t press on the brakes and it is in park, the buzzing starts, whether the car is running or not. It will sit for days at a time, parked and off, and the buzzing keeps on going. We have looked under the hood several times while it’s buzzing and no one can seem to find the source of this problem. I can feel a slight vibration in the shifter when it’s buzzing. Also, the wires that make the over drive come on are exposed (?? I have no idea what the story is here) and I have to manually tie the wires together every so often to keep the over drive on. If someone can enlighten me, I would be forever indebted. I keep trying to get through to call in, but I never ever can. Thanks!
It sounds like there’s a problem between the interlock switch at the brake pedal and the interlock switch at the shifter.
In order to shift your car out of park, you must first step on the brake pedal. This is a safety feature. When doing this, the switch above the brake pedal energizes a solenoid in the shifter mechananism that allows the shifter to be moved out of park. If there’s a problem with either of these switches, it’ll do the goofy things you describe.
Tester
Is this a dire problem? In other words, should I get it fixed immediately? Especially considering the impending winter ice monster that is upon us Kansans…