Over the weekend, my Jeep had a problem. I had been making a couple trips around town to run some errands. I got back to my brother's house and shut off the Jeep. I started to get out when I realized that my key was stuck in the ignition. It would not turn back to the stop where you can get the key out. I try turning the key back and forth and also shifting the transmission(This is on a 2006 4X4 automatic BTW). No luck. The Jeep was in park, so we went in to see what we could find on the net. Not much, but we did see one comment about the Shift Interlock having problems. So back out I went and tried the key and the shifter a few more times. Still no difference. So I started pulling the console apart to see if anything was binding. What I found was that the shift interlock cable was not returning to it's proper position when in park. I could push it with my thumb and then it would release the key. I only had to move it about 1/8" to get it to work. I did this the rest of the day to get where I was going.
The next day I took the console completely apart to determine why the cable was not working as it should. What I found is that there is a small solenoid with a brass actuator bar that pushes the shift interlock cable into the correct positions depending on what gear you are in. This solenoid was not pushing the cable far enough forward to allow me to get the key out of the ignition. This solenoid has part numbers on it so I copied them down and went to the parts store. No luck, it must be a dealer only part. So on Monday I went to the dealer. I describe the part and give them the part numbers. What I found out next is that the fix is to replace the entire automatic shifter assembly and shift interlock cable. That is the only way Mopar sells these parts. I even took the shifter out of the box while there and pointed out the part I needed on it. The guy said they had done some revisions to the shifter and cable and that they only sold the whole assembly. He said this was not a recall item, but the revisions had been made and on his computer it noted to sell a new interlock cable with the shifter because they had been revised. I went ahead and bought the shifter assembly and cable, $120 total. I expected much worse.
I went home and started swapping parts. I could tell that the shifter assembly and cable did look slightly different in some areas. The interlock cable is also spring loaded and seemed much springier than my old cable. The cable alone may have fixed my problem, but I went ahead and replaced both. Total repair time was about 2 hours and that was with me taking it slow and making sure I was doing everything correctly. Also the process for doing this repair is documented fairly well in the Haynes Jeep Liberty 2001-2004 service manual and instructions match very well even on a 2006 model Jeep like I have. The main things to remember are, the console has to come completely out. And the bottom half of the cover around the steering column will need to come off. Tools needed for this job are; #2 Philips Screwdriver, A couple flat tip screwdrivers, Torx T15 driver, 10mm deepwell socket and ratchet, needlenose pliers, and a good bright droplight. The console removal was fairly easy, except for one screw that eluded me for a bit. If I had referred to the Haynes manual first, I would have found it more quickly. This screw was under the leather boot for the transfer case shifter. It also helps when removing the console to have the transmission in N, the transfer case in N or 4LO, and the parking brake pulled up.
Well hopefully this info will help somebody in the future.
The next day I took the console completely apart to determine why the cable was not working as it should. What I found is that there is a small solenoid with a brass actuator bar that pushes the shift interlock cable into the correct positions depending on what gear you are in. This solenoid was not pushing the cable far enough forward to allow me to get the key out of the ignition. This solenoid has part numbers on it so I copied them down and went to the parts store. No luck, it must be a dealer only part. So on Monday I went to the dealer. I describe the part and give them the part numbers. What I found out next is that the fix is to replace the entire automatic shifter assembly and shift interlock cable. That is the only way Mopar sells these parts. I even took the shifter out of the box while there and pointed out the part I needed on it. The guy said they had done some revisions to the shifter and cable and that they only sold the whole assembly. He said this was not a recall item, but the revisions had been made and on his computer it noted to sell a new interlock cable with the shifter because they had been revised. I went ahead and bought the shifter assembly and cable, $120 total. I expected much worse.
I went home and started swapping parts. I could tell that the shifter assembly and cable did look slightly different in some areas. The interlock cable is also spring loaded and seemed much springier than my old cable. The cable alone may have fixed my problem, but I went ahead and replaced both. Total repair time was about 2 hours and that was with me taking it slow and making sure I was doing everything correctly. Also the process for doing this repair is documented fairly well in the Haynes Jeep Liberty 2001-2004 service manual and instructions match very well even on a 2006 model Jeep like I have. The main things to remember are, the console has to come completely out. And the bottom half of the cover around the steering column will need to come off. Tools needed for this job are; #2 Philips Screwdriver, A couple flat tip screwdrivers, Torx T15 driver, 10mm deepwell socket and ratchet, needlenose pliers, and a good bright droplight. The console removal was fairly easy, except for one screw that eluded me for a bit. If I had referred to the Haynes manual first, I would have found it more quickly. This screw was under the leather boot for the transfer case shifter. It also helps when removing the console to have the transmission in N, the transfer case in N or 4LO, and the parking brake pulled up.
Well hopefully this info will help somebody in the future.
