Axel

Again, thanks to everyone for their assistance in this matter.

Bootcamp, there's no button on the Avenger shifter. And she was fully stopped when she turned the key off, which we did in the other 08 SE Avenger without a problem. It looks like they may be moving from the buttons on the shifter these days because they have other lockouts now. Just like the Mustang doesn't have a button to take the key out for the stick shift anymore. What were/are those buttons for anyway? Only the stick shifts, as far as I know, had those, but I never knew why. Push the button, take the key out. As for the gear thing and pusing it, it would roll when it was in neutral, even though the dash indicated it was in drive, and when it was put on the flat bed there was no issue with the wheels not moving. It was getting in gears and moving fine, neutral and reverse, it just wouldn't go into the autstick and park position.

Unfortunatley, I wasn't able to get up to my wife before they towed the car so everything still had power to it while it sits there. The run down protection won't save the car, I believe, since the car belives that it's in the drive gear and running. Guess no one really wanted to hassle with the battery in the wheel well. I still think that's just the greatest design in the world. Another one of those who cares if something comes up designs, it's just more convenient for the designers. Anyway, off my soap box. Come Monday, if not sooner, that battery will be dead.

Reading the manual, once I was able to get it when my wife got home, it seems like there are two things that happens here. If the transmission is stuck in park, there is a switch under the cup holder, or button, that can be depressed to release the tranmission, with the key in the ignition of course, so that it can be moved, towed, if needed. This has to do with the brake/transaxle interlock system and it requires power from the battery to operate. Good thing they have that switch there.

This problem, the one that my wife is having, seems to be a little different, obviously, which is also mentioned in the manual. This has to do with the automatic transaxle ignition interlock system. This is what it states in the manual: "This system prevents the key from being removed unless the shift lever is in park," which obviously we aren't able to put it in park and I'm sure everyone has heard of this system. Continuing on, "It also prevents shifting out of parks unless the key is in the on position and the brake pedal is applied. Note: If a malfunction occurs, the system will trap the key in the ignition cylinder to warn you that this safety feature is inoperable. The engine can be started" just not in my wife's case, "and stopped, but the key cannot be removed until you obtain service."

No serious, I have to leave the key in the ignition until it gets fixed?! Well let me make sure that I tell all the thiefs and cops that I know that please don't break in my car, or give me a ticket for the key in the cylinder, which they do around here, because it's broke and you can't take it anywhere. It looks like the reverse may be true in some cases above as you can start and stop the car, but you can't get the key out. Well that's even more helpful. When they are stealing the car, at least they can't get the key out. At least when it's stripped, the key will still be in the cylinder. What idiot engineer thought that this was a good idea?

You know with all the technology, it's kind of funny that this is the best that chrysler can come up with. Forget the codes that use to come up, at least in the Ram, now they lock things out so you can't use it until you get service. I can see that if it's an emergency situation that could cause serious injury if it's not fixed, but I have a feeling that this doesn't have anything to do with that, but we'll find out for sure.