Stuck in Park

I own a 1998 Suzuki Sidekick Sport 4 door,and if I travel a short distance, and especially if I make a turn into a parking space, the car sticks in Park and will not relase fro about 5-7 mins. This doen’t happen when the engine is warmed up…what gives?

On most AT cars there is a safety device that won’t allow a car to shift out of park unless the brake is depressed.

So first, make sure you are depressing the brake, though I assume that you are.

There is a switch under the brake pedal - it is probably the same one that triggers your brake lights, so make sure that when this happens your brake lights are working. If not, most of these switches are adjustable - adjust as necessary.

The circuit from this switch often runs to a little shift-lock solenoid at the gear selector. Over time these solenoids can get gunked up and fail to work well (often very slowly if at all). You may need to locate where your shift-lock is, gain access to it (by pulling apart the console) and getting it cleaned up as well as cleaning & checking the wiring connectors that run to it.

That’s my best shot and I’m sticking with it (for now).