[ebell1178]

I get this message on the dash even if I am in park. The indicator on the dash says P, the actual shift is in P, but I still get the message after I turn the car off, followed by a long beep after i close the door and the keyfob will no longer lock the door.

My internet sleuthing led me to a post mentioning the automatic transmission gear position sensor (I've also seen it called the neutral safety switch).

Could this be it? They aren't super expensive and fairly easy to change. I just don't want to chase a ghost.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[bigbxsallday]

Yeah inhibitor switch is most likely the cause and only about $40 so go for it.

 

[ebell1178]

Nice. Thanks!

 

[ebell1178]

Yeah inhibitor switch is most likely the cause and only about $40 so go for it.

Changed switch today. No dice. Same problem. Any other thoughts?

 

[bigbxsallday]

Yes. I think a mechanic would test continuity between the inhibitor switch and transaxle control unit, yet I'm not expert after that. So no CEL on dash?

Turbonut is pretty good at this stuff, maybe reach out to him.

 

[gtlife2]

I get this message on the dash even if I am in park. The indicator on the dash says P, the actual shift is in P, but I still get the message after I turn the car off, followed by a long beep after i close the door and the keyfob will no longer lock the door.

My internet sleuthing led me to a post mentioning the automatic transmission gear position sensor (I've also seen it called the neutral safety switch).

Could this be it? They aren't super expensive and fairly easy to change. I just don't want to chase a ghost.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks!

inhibitor safety switch did not fix the problem. any solution to this?

 

[KingFatty]

Where do you see the message? I'm confused how the dash can tell you two contradictory things, because it says it's in P yet also says Shift to P?

 

[ebell1178]

Where do you see the message? I'm confused how the dash can tell you two contradictory things, because it says it's in P yet also says Shift to P?

Yes. The message center says “shift to Park” while the shift indicator shows P.

 

[ebell1178]

inhibitor safety switch did not fix the problem. any solution to this?

No. No solution yet. My next step was dealership but i hadn’t had a chance to go yet.

 

[COS-16SXL]

Post #6 in Svc Center Thread below......Solution found ?? I think I did. I actually had to take off the plastic on my gearshift console. Inside there’s a latch connected to where the gear shift is. That latch actually clicks when I squeeze it. (This is the best way to explain sorry)…when I hold it down and turn the car off, it fully turns off. Meaning whatever was attached to it broke or fell off. So I had to use a very small clamp to keep it clamped down. You wont find a YouTube video on it and no one else will help. So I hope this helps!

Shift to park

Last Monday I bought a 2015 Optima EX. It started out as an intermittent issue where the car wouldn't shut off fully after you put it in park and turn the engine off. The dashboard would indicated that the vehicle was in park, but in the screen in the center of the speedometer it says "Shift...

www.optimaforums.com

 

[ebell1178]

Solution found for me. Per COS's post, I took the center console apart to expose the shift mech. I couldn't find the switch at first, but it's a simple lever switch that the shifter column presses when it's in park. There is a horizontal "bolt" that comes out of the side of the shift rod that moves along the ridges of the column as you go from P, R, N, D, etc. It rides the ridges until it gets to park at which point it goes up and hits the lever switch. It is held in place by a simple plastic clip with two tabs. My clip was in place. However, the problem went away with the shifter knob removed. I thought there was an issue with the shifter knob, but with the knob on, it wouldn't allow the "bolt" to rise up enough to engage the lever switch. So, I just bent the little metal lever to expand further down so that it would engage with the "bolt" sooner. Problem solved. I hope this explanation helps. I have some stuff to do today but I'll be checking in to see if there are any questions. Thanks to COS-16SXL for finding the older post and posting their solution.