I got my car about two months ago, and it has ran really well. About two weeks ago I was driving around and doing errands and after finishing at a store I went to turn the car on and nothing. It did not even attempt to turn over. I messed around with the shift stick a little and even the shift lock and then it started. This happened again yesterday. Same thing, driving it around a bit and then returned to it and it wouldn’t start and then after messing with the shift stick it then started again. I don’t know if messing with the shift stick or shift lock actually did anything. Anyway, I got a battery and alternator tester and the alternator is good, but the battery comes up as low and needing to potentially replace. Would a low battery cause periotic starter issues and then just work on a different random try?
You have a bad or misadjusted shifter safety switch. Wiggling the shifter is a huge hint. Sounds like you need a battery, too.
If you THINK the battery is the issue, change it first. But I bet you’ll still have a problem.
The park/neutral safety switch may be out of adjustment or worn.
Tester
Do you know approximately how much a repair/replacement for that might be?
Your location is unknown and what facilty you might use for the repair . Any good shop is going to do a diagnostic service to find the actual problem . There will be a fee for that . Just have them contact you before they install or fix the problem so you can know the cost and approve it.
Note: I had some vehicle work done recently and the independent shop did the entire work for the amount that the dealer was going to charge just for the labor.
Suggest to include make/model/year/engne/transmission configuration for accuracy, but I’d guess around $50 for the replacement part and around 1 hour labor. Add diagnostic labor time if applicable.