1997 Mercury Cougar hard to depress the shifter button

1997 MERCURY COUGAR
123,000 MILES • V8 • 2WD • AUTOMATIC
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1997 Mercury Cougar mileage: 123,000. Recently when I start the car, it is often very hard to depress the shifter button and move the shifter out of PARK. It's like the safety lock is not disengaging, but it doesn't happen every time. It's worse when the car is on a very slight incline and the engine is cold. Any ideas? Linkage? Electrical?
Nov 19, 2010 at 11:44 PM
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Your car is equipped with a transmission safety lock, which prevents the car from being removed from park unless the brake pedal is depressed. The switch on the brake pedal or the lock mechanism on the gearshift may be faulty.
Nov 19, 2010 at 11:46 PM