It is incredible how many things you find out just sitting at an auto shop listening to other people’s problems with their vehicles. This one reminded me of an article that we already wrote about why won’t my car come out of park. The problem that this person was having was that their shift interlock solenoid was malfunctioning on their vehicle. So the question that comes to mind is where is the shift interlock solenoid located?
In a 2003 Ford Taurus it will be on the steering column but in a 2010 Ford Taurus it is going to be in the center console. So it all depends on where your gear shifter is located and how you can access the shift interlock solenoid. So let’s look further into this shift interlock solenoid so we can understand this part better.
It is always better to be safe than sorry. Heres my article on 5 Simple Ways to Protect your Car in Hurricane Season.
What does the shift interlock solenoid do?
The shift interlock solenoid has one of the most important jobs with your vehicle. It is all about safety when it comes down to manufacturing thousands and thousands of cars on the same production line. The shift interlock solenoid prevents you from bringing your car out of park without 
pressing the brake pedal.
The shift interlock solenoid works hand and hand with the brake light switch. The brake light switch if it’s malfunctioning your brake lights will not work.
Push the brake in, and if the interlock solenoid is not working, you will not be able to bring your car out of park no matter how hard you push the brake. Many people confuse these two parts with each other, and they will find themselves replacing both parts instead of researching which part it is.
But you do not have to worry about that in this situation because the research has already been done for you. You have taken the first step in finding the conclusion to your problem, and that is by researching it.
Remember to check the wiring that is leading to the shift interlock solenoid at the base of your gear shifter.
I only say this because there is the chance that the wiring that is the solenoid could have been damaged. If the wiring is damaged, then it doesn’t matter if you replaced the solenoid or the switch is still will not work.
How can I tell the shift interlock solenoid is working?
You can tell that the shift interlock solenoid is working because you will be able to bring the car out of the park position. The difference is to know if the problem is your shift interlock solenoid or your brake light switch is to look at the brake lights.
If the brake lights are on then, it is the shift interlock solenoid if the brake lights are off then it is the brake light switch. That way, the troubleshooting is a lot easier for you.
When should I replace the shift interlock solenoid on my vehicle?
The crazy part is the vehicle owner will not even know that their vehicle has a shift interlock solenoid on their car until it malfunctions. When it malfunctions it will let you know by not letting you shift your car out of the park position, then this is the clear indication that it is time to change your shift interlock solenoid.
Other than that you are not going to run across the time in your maintenance interval schedule that it tells you to change your shift interlock solenoid. Need a new shift interlock solenoid? Here is the cheapest with the best reviews I found on Amazon.
How do I prevent the shift interlock solenoid from malfunctioning in the future?
With this part, you have no maintenance preventions that you can put in place to lengthen the life of the shift interlock solenoid on your vehicle. It will just take time, and the solenoid will give out over time.
With this part, the average mileage I saw online was around 110,000 miles when the shift interlock solenoids started malfunctioning.
So all you need to do is to keep a close eye on your vehicle. When you are doing your maintenance interval schedule, remember to check your taillights.
You will be surprised by this one here’s my article on 12 Crucial Maintenance Things to Check on your Vehicle.
As long as the taillights are working then you know about your brake light switch is working great.
Make sure to double-check your gear shifter and make sure about it changes from one gear to another smoothly and not jolty. If it is jolty, then please look towards our blog article on servicing your transmission to correct this.
I hope this article helped you with the problem you are having with your car. I hope you enjoy my next piece as well!
