Won't Shift Out Of Park

[quimby_man]

2005 Pontiac Montana 3.4L V6 Auto
Okay so my wife went to get some things and when she started to leave, it wouldn't come out of park. The shifter still moves, it's very loose, it doesn't fall, it just doesn't have as much tension as it had before. I can still feel where each gear position should be. I still have to apply the brake to take it out of the park position. I'm thinking it's just the cable but I'd like to know how common this is and how difficult/time consuming this would be to fix it to at least get me through the weekend. Oh and if I'm correct in that I think it's the cable.

 

[Steelcity]

Thats what it sounds like some kind of linkage problem,but never heard of it failing on a montana

 

[SKroads]

Just wondering if you park a lot on non-flat surfaces (meaning if you are in neutral, do you slide forward or back)?

I have had shifters break on my Montana due to shifting hard out of park too often.

I did find that a light tapping on the gas while holding down the brake seemed to help make the shifting easier on my Montana, thus stopping the problem. Dunno if that will help.

If the shifter breaks, usually neutral and drive become inoperable, leading to an avoiding repairing situation.