2017 Lincoln MKZ not Shifting out of park

[Tom Caldwell]

2017 Lincoln MKZ at times won't shift out of park leaving us stranded. Eventually
after turning car off, and after a period of time, it would go back to operating normally. Might be fine for a few days or even a week or two but then would happen again.

Took it to my local Lincoln dealer and they kept it for 3 or 4 days but could not replicate the problem and after testing, running codes etc. didn't find an answer to the issue. Then of course as soon as we took it home it happened again a couple of days later and stranded my wife at the grocery store.
She had our daughter pick her up and went back a few hours later and it shifted fine. Now if she drives it anywhere, she leaves the car running in fear of getting stranded again.

The problem only seems to occur when the car has been turned off and then started and the error message (see below) appears. Again, doesn't happen every time. But if it does shift from park and you drive somewhere and stop and put it into park and leave the engine running it has always shifted into gear again.

The error message that appears is: Shift SYS Fault

 

[mars5am]

I've encountered this before. Check the following:

1. Inspect the shifter cable bushing or the entire cable end.
2. Examine underneath the shifter assembly; it could be an issue with the switch.
3. Investigate the cable. Look for any rust or breaks in the middle section. This is the most problematic issue you could encounter, as replacing the cable can be quite costly.

 

[mars5am]

I've encountered this before. Check the following:

1. Inspect the shifter cable bushing or the entire cable end.
2. Examine underneath the shifter assembly; it could be an issue with the switch.
3. Investigate the cable. Look for any rust or breaks in the middle section. This is the most problematic issue you could encounter, as replacing the cable can be quite costly.

To check the cable you probably need to remove the battery etc. to get the view

 

[Action]

Next time it happens, check to see if the brake lights come on.
To shift out of park the drivers foot has to be on the brake pedal.
The system knows that the drivers foot is on the brake pedal because the brake light circuit is activated.
Not sure if the brake light switches are adjustable. Or if the brake light switch is intermittently not working, this could be the concern.

The other cheap and easy thing that can be done is disconnect the battery for an hour or two. This resets all of the electronics. The down side to doing this everything is reset. But the risk is minimal.

Action

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[batchman]

To check the cable you probably need to remove the battery etc. to get the view

The 17-up does not have a traditional shifter, it's a line of buttons on the dash. That said I don't know how the "business end" works (at the transmission), but pulling the battery may, as you say, give you more of a view.

I also don't know how the buttons function, maybe try pressing in different spots/corners etc.

I do like Action's thought on the brake lights, that would certainly fool the car into not being safe to shift.

Best,
- Jeff

 

[scn101]

Another thought is if the car is on a slant when you park it will exert pressure on the parking pawl internal to the transmission that locks the output shaft in place. Then the transmission may be having a hard time disengaging the pawl due to the weight of the vehicle. If you don't already do this, when you park, keep your foot on the brake pedal, engage the parking brake and then shift into park. When you want to leave, press the brake pedal, release the parking brake (in that order), then shift out of park. Might be worth a try.

 

[hoogru]

Wow... Listening to these responses. It's definitely the shifter cable. It's either the bushing gone bad or the cable itself. It's a know issue from other research I've seen. You can see the cable shifting/moving if looking at the engine with someone else pushing the buttons to different gears.