Honda Car Forum

My 1990 honda accord is stuck in park. the engine starts but i can't do anything else. I tried the shift lock release but that doesn't do anything. My parking brake light is stuck on as well, even when I release it. any ideas guys?thanks

Yeah those hondas I tell ya. I have a 2000 civic and it was stuck in park too , and I had to use the lock release a few times, and then sesveral times even that didn't work so I left it alone for a day and it unlocked the next day. I don't exactly know what to tell ya but I know I'm not going to buy hondas anymore!!

Ha...I have a honda civic. I'm not sure if you're talking about a stick shift though. I have a stick shift and one thing I have to be careful about is making sure the parking brake is fully disengaged. Sometimes it feels like it is, but it's not so I have to re-engage it and try again. You've probably tried it, but that's the best I can do. Are you sure you're pushing the clutch all the way in when you're trying to take it out of park?

If you have an automatic transmission, sometimes if the steering wheel is in just the wrong place, it will bind up the linkages. Try turning the steering wheel as you are also trying to move the shift lever out of Park.

Just guessing...but you might have something damaged which releases the park brake, like something broken the the console ...maybe cable broke...and this might be the reason that when you release it---nothing happens..you have to start at the park brake handle and check everything all the way back to the rear brakes...but it the p/brakes are set and you can't release them..them your not going to go forward or reverse...

Brake light - switch is broken or possibly a loose wire grounded somewhere, more than likely near the brake handle. Hondas of this vintage are known to have weak transmissions. If it has been giving a rough shift before your problem with the lever the transmission may be dead. Could also be wear in any linkage between the lever and the box. Get under the car. If a linkage is visible, prod it with a broomstick - seriously. I had a vehicle with an column shift that used to bind once in a while. That was a cure.

the most usual cause for the car not coming out of park is that the brake light switch isn't working. Check to see if you have brake lights in the back of the car when you step on the brake. If the brake lights are not working then the control unit for the interlock system doesn't know that you have your foot on the brake and with the interlock system you cannot take the car out of park without your foot on the brake. If you don't have any brake lights you'll have to replace the brake lamp switch. The brake lamp switch is under the instrument panel on the driver's side. just follow the brake pedal lever up to the top and you'll see a plunger type switch that presses against the brake pedal lever. when the pedal is depressed the plunger should pop out and close the circuit to the brake lights and the interlock system. if the plunger doesn't pop out or if the lights don't work when it does pop out, then you need to replace the switch. The inerlock release should work but I don't remember where it is on that car.the parking brake light that won't go out is usually not for the parking brake but for the brake system. the light usually indicates that the master cylinder is low on brake fluid or the sending switch for the master cylinder fluid level is shorted. check the fluid level in the master cylinder and add if necessary. If it is the parking brake light that is illuminated, it is either a bad switch or one that has soda or coffee spilled on it causing it to stick. that switch is under the parking brake lever.hope that helps

Try pushing in the brake pedal before trying to shift. If it's still not working, then it's broken.

This frequently happens when the car is parked on a steep incline, or if the wheels are riding up on a curb or something. The weight of the car prevents the pinion from moving freely. If you can somehow push the car slightly uphill to take the weight off the pinion, while trying to shift, it may come free.If this is your problem, the way to prevent it is to apply the park brake before shifting into park, when parking on an incline. Shift out of park before releasing the park brake.