Hey everyone!!!
I am new to the forum thing and I'm not really sure how it works, so I'm giving this a good shot. Hopefully someone can help me.

Today, I my car would not move out of "park". The car was ON, my foot WAS ON the brake, and the steering wheel was NOT locked. The button that is on the gear shifter would not push in to let it go out of "park". I had to put the car in "ACC" and then put the car in "neutral" then I could start the car and put it in "drive". There has to be an easier way. When I finally did get it going, the car now dings at me whenever my foot is on the brake for the entire duration that its on the brake. Does anyone have any idea of what that could be and/or how to fix it????????

Thank you so much in advance!!!!!!

 

I've never had a problem like that, but then again I'm a relatively new Saturn owner. It might help if you post the year and model Saturn you're talking about. That way some of the more knowledgeable members will be likely to help you out.

 

Year and Model? From your description it sounds like a possible electrical or electronic problem. The newer these things get, the more the functions are controlled by the computor assigned to run things with. For example, new transmissions shift electronically, the lever sends signals to the computor, which decides what to do and sends signals to solenoids inside the transmission to do it.
If for example, the computor gets the WRONG set of signals, it will not send the right set of commands. But it can and will do something wonky, like ding at you because it thinks something else is going on.
So Questions: Year and Model engine and transmission.
What button would not move. Was it mechanical? In that it could not be depressed or could you depress it and nothing happened.
Did it take turning the key to be in ACC? Some cars you can do that now with out the key.
If it took the key, did it bind when turning or did it feel normal? When you moved the gear shift lever did it feel as if it was binding?
Or did it move freely.
I have some diagnostic information, but it is not complete.
I had the problem on a Ford Focus I was working on. It had an electical problem and I had he battery out of it. I went to move it and I could not get it out of park.
Why? Electronic shifting. With the battery disconnected you could not move the lever nor shift the gears. I took me a while to figure out, that is the way it is supposed to work.
Dang.

 

Its a 2002 Saturn L100. There is a button on the side of the gear shifter that unlocks it and it will move out of park. Without pushing that release, it won't leave park.Yes I turned the key to be in ACC. There are 4 turn options: off, acc, run, and start. It was perfectly normal when it turned and would start without a problem. Once it was in ACC, the gear shift moved without a problem.

 

Shift lock solenoid located inside the console near the shifter. Many times starting the car turning the heat up full blast with all ducts pointed at the shifter it'll come out of park once warmed up.