Old Hyundai Sanda Fe stuck in D, easy fix

[Number_35]

An older lady at church asked for help with her vehicle, a 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe.

The console-mounted shifter was stuck in D, and so the key couldn't be removed from the ignition. Nor could the vehicle be started, of course.

The brake lights were operating. I checked the safety switch on the brake pedal arm, and it was functioning.

I found vice grips in the church basement and removed the -ve battery terminal, hoping a hard reboot would help. It didn't.

An internet search turned up nothing I hadn't tried, or at least that I could try without proper tools.

I was on the verge of giving up and was idly trying again to move the shifter out of D, and found that a chromed plastic collar on the shifter shaft had fallen down and was jamming the mechanism. It looked like it was meant to be there.

I moved it up and it stayed in place higher on the shaft, and everything worked fine after that.

I felt really dumb to have not found it right away, but not as dumb as if I hadn't found it and she had to have it towed to a garage.

Moral of the story? Check the simplest stuff first.

 

[Propflux01]

My wife had a keychain part, one of those GI Dog Tag Chain links, fall into the shift mechanism of her former 2002 Santa Fe (she had it wrapped round the stick, along with some other crap). It wouldn't come out of Park. Amazing what little stuff can get in there and completely shut it down!

 

[Number_35]

My wife had a keychain part, one of those GI Dog Tag Chain links, fall into the shift mechanism of her former 2002 Santa Fe (she had it wrapped round the stick, along with some other crap). It wouldn't come out of Park. Amazing what little stuff can get in there and completely shut it down!

That's a good argument for ye olde column shifters!