Difficulty shifting out of park...

sounds like too much pressure on the parking pawl. try pushing down on the brake pedal firmly, shifting out of park, and then releasing the parking (emergency) brake.

 

it's the part in the transmission that holds the car from moving when you shift to park. it's also possible that your brake switch needs adjusting, as this is what allows you to shift out of park when you step on the brake.

are you usually on an incline when you have trouble, or is it all the time?

 

Try pushing harder on the brake pedal before moving the shifter. I have had the same issue and it seems to be related to how much pressure you put on the brake pedal.

 

if that turns out to be the problem, have someone look at the switch.

 

Also, after stopping and placing the car into park, do not remove your foot from the brake pedal until you have engaged the parking brake. This will prevent the car from slightly moving and placing pressure on the transmission. When I forget to do this, I almost always feel the extra resistance and/or a clunk sound the next time I shift into drive.

 

Good suggestion, however I don't believe this is connected at all, as I am very aware of applying the hand brake prior to moving the shift lever to park. It seems to have a connection with how much pressure is applied to the brake pedal prior to moving it out of park. I have no reasoning why this works, but since I have figured this out, I have had no further issue with getting out of park.

 

Hi Orenji. Thanks for figuring out this fix. I've been having that same issue of "clunking" out of park sometimes...and everytime I feel like I'm doing damage to the trans or something. It's nerve-racking. I plan to get the trans fluid changed soon, but your suggestion of pushing down on that brake pedal hard before shifting out of Park is really helping. Thanks again, as well as the rest of you on this thread who posted.