Shiftlock release

I have the same problem on my 2003 Odyssey, approx 65K Miles. Hope someone has an answer to this one. The existence of a slot to insert a small screwdriver (not included in the Honda tool kit) is no accident. The problem must have been anticipated and surely there is logical fix.

I have a simular problem. I have a honda accord, 1998. My stickshift hand grip popped off. Chrome thumb release, spring, went flying on the floor. I put it back together as skillfully as I could, but apparently you have to be a rocket scientist to put it back exactly like it was before popping out. It now will not shift into gear at all. Is there another part that may be somewhere between the seats or somewhere. Whats the trick in getting this back together?
I really dont want to have a mechanic put it back together if it is something I can do.
Thanks for any help I can get,
Bill

My problem turned out to be somewhere in the brake switch circuit. Advice given elsewhere includes first checking to see if the "P" indicator is lit when the car is in park. This is a good thing since the car must both be in (1) park and (2) the brake applied before the gear can be released from park. If this "P" indicator is off, check the fuses and/or the gear position switch. In my case, the "P" was lit, but the brake lights were out. Thus the brake light switch was unable to tell the shift release gizmo that the brakes were applied- rule number (2).

Further advice was to first check the fuse. The brake fuse in my car is located under the hood, but check the manual for your fuse location. The fuse was ok. So I reached under by the brake pedal and wiggled the wires to the brake switch. This action caused the brake lights and the shiftlock release features to both work.

No warm fuzzy feeling here- next stop is to my friendly mechanic who knows how to check it out fully. Faulty brake lights are something that can get you in trouble! Bad message here is that the brake lights can go bad without your ever knowing it! Of course you could stop every mile or so and check out the no shift feature- thanks Honda!