03 subaru forester with 150,000 miles, battery was dead so I forced the automatic from park to neutral to jump start it. After that, it wouldn’t go into park, and only reverses when forced and held in reverse, took car into dealership, three days and $660 DOLLARS later they said it was a piece of bent plastic. Now three weeks later, during a long car trip, it again won’t go into park or reverse. WHAT DO YOU THINK IT IS?
I would not be surprised if the info on how to properly defeat the shift lock is in the owners manual. It sounds like you really did a number on it, and something is still bent out of whack.
yer not supposed to break that !
Yeah you bent part of the shift interlock,but something confuses me ,cars can be jump started in Park,why did you need to get into neutral for a jump start? Is there something special about Subaru?(no jump start in park?)Maybe you had to move the car to get it closer to the car you were jumping with?
The car was in an apartment complex, other cars around it and hood in the prickly bushes. I can’t even open a peanut butter jar, so I don’t get where the strength came from. but I forced it into neutral, helped pushed it back to a position that was easier to jump with short jumper cables.
the dealership said they checked the cable and the computer (they had actually ordered a new computer piece for under the shifter, 3 weeks ago, but they decided it was bent plastic. I’m not mechanically minded, so I’m sure the transmission fuel is old and rancid. Could it be something simple? Anyone have any ideas?
You broke the shifter linkage or the shifter itself. There’s nothing wrong with the transmission in all likelihood, but you really did a number on it.
As for the transmission “fuel” (I suppose you mean fluid), has it ever been changed? Maybe you should have it changed. 150k miles is far too long on the fluid.