My 2006 TL is not going into park. Right before the shifter hits the top of its travel, there is resistance. And I must apply a little more force to push it up-and-over into park position. But it's not really in park. I can't turn the key to the off position and I cannot start the car either or move it out of park. I have to push the release and put the car in neutral to start it after that, everything works fine until I try and put it in park again.
i thought it might be the shifter unit, so I took it all apart and disconnected it from the cable. It shifted smoothly and nicely into each gear. When I put the cable back on, I could see It was not moving completely to engage it into park. It seems like the resistance is in the cable or at the other end of the cable. I am thinking the cable needs replaced, but I don't want to buy a new one unless I have to. So I am seeking advice.

 

What is your gear indicator saying when you put it into park?
Does the P light up? Does it go blank? Do the other gears correctly display?

Any transmission work? Replacement? Did it always do this? Did something happen and then it started doing this?

Help us help you.

 

No, it does not show that it is ib park on the indicator it shows that it is still in reverse. All of the other gears light up when it is supposed to never been any transmission problems or work besides normal maintenance. The shifter has been getting a little sloppy over the last 6 months. Where I had to pull it back a little bit further than drive to get It Into Drive Things Like That. And now it is not going far enough forward to go actually into park, and the cable is not moving far enough. Forward, I can see a space on it that used to go in. That is no longer going in

 

I've never heard of this issue before.

From what I understand, It's a manual cable to the transmission range switch.
So either it likely got caught on something when you get to pull it extra to get into drive, or maybe there was work done in the area and the cable got moved around. Best bet is to go to the range switch and follow the cable to see if it's damaged or caught up.