A Texas woman’s 2005 Mazda 3 keeps getting stuck in park, and she’s out of quick fixes. Thankfully, the internet was able to come to her aid. TikTok creator Lauren (@laurenh8r) posted a video about the issue with her 20-year-old Mazda on Feb. 6. “Welcome back to reasons why I’m getting a new car this year,” she says. “I’m currently stuck in park for the one millionth time.” This time, Lauren was at a gas station when her car refused to shift out of park into reverse. “My car does this sometimes,” she says. “And, like, it’s becoming a little bit of a more frequent thing. I get in my car, I start it, and I try to go from park to drive or reverse to leave wherever I’m at, and I’m stuck in park. I’m just stuck in park.” She explains that her brake lights are on when this happens. She saw a YouTube video that recommended resetting the mechanism by placing a screwdriver in a hole on the shifter. “But unfortunately, I’ve done the screwdriver one too many times, and now the thing is too far down,” she says. “I have to wait here until it corrects itself because I don’t have a screwdriver that’s long enough.” Viewers React To The Woman’s 2005 Mazda 3 Shifter Issue She says in the caption that a Google search didn’t help, and she doesn’t feel comfortable putting any more money into the vehicle. In the comments section, viewers familiar with cars attempted to help her troubleshoot the issue. “If your brake lights are working when the problem is actually happening then more than likely it’s going to be the solenoid that’s attached to the shifter itself,” one person wrote. A second person said, “It sounds like you need a brake switch. Have it verified by your local professionals, but it should be a pretty affordable repair.” Another person said, “Until you can get it fixed, an easy workaround is to put the car in neutral and use your parking brake when you need to go to park. If it’s a brake switch that should work.” What Could Be Going On With This Mazda? There are indeed a couple of different reasons that Lauren’s Mazda is struggling to shift out of park. One of those is a faulty brake light switch, which can degrade over time and need replacing. When a brake light switch fails, the shift interlock can’t properly disengage, and therefore the shifter can get stuck. Another possibility is an issue with the shift interlock solenoid, which is the mechanism that releases the shifter, allowing it to move out of park when a series of conditions are met. Those conditions include the ignition being turned on and the brake pedal being depressed. If the solenoid is going bad, it won’t release the locking pin holding the shifter in place. Motor1 contacted Lauren via TikTok comment and direct message for comment. We also contacted Mazda via press email for comment. We will update this story if either party responds. We want your opinion! What would you like to see on Motor1.com? Take our 3 minute survey. - The Motor1.com Team