<style type="text/css">p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 120%; }</style> I had trouble with my truck starting in park I had to pull on the shifter hard in order for it to start. Then I went on line to see what the problem mite be, most people where saying it was the neutral safety switch so I ordered one, so I went under the truck looked at it and said to my self no problem I can change this and I went under the truck took if off the old one and put on the new one (the transmission was in the wrong position) and when I went to start it it didn't start and I moved the shifter and went to take it out of park and it was kind of ruff but the more I took it back and forth it wasn't that ruff anymore but nice and smooth. Now and I can only put in R ,N,D,2,1 but I cant move it back to any other gear's before it. I have to go under the truck move it back to any other gears before it. Only after Imessedup I went on line to see what I did wrong and now I can start it and put in gear with the shifter.
I guess what I'm asking is it the shifter cable or something I don't know about .
well I hope I was clear enough

 

what truck?
what year?
column or center console shifter?

 

2005 F150 XL 4.6L 2 wheel drive automatic, the shifter is in the column it does not have any controls on the steering wheel. I just wanted a regular work truck.
hope that’s enough

 

unlikely its the same but worth a look: i had a '99 F-250, and one of the bolts that holds the shift linkage had backed out and resulted in a sloppy shift lever; it was on the bottom of the column. block the wheels, get under there and shake the shifter a little bit and see if you can trace it and check for any loose bolts.

 

thanks bbender85 for the help. I got under the truck and checked the cable and found the problem. The shifter cable had a bad spot on it. The bad spot on the shifter cable was next to the exhaust line and made outer coating of the shifter cable brittle and when I tried to shift back to park the cable would come out the shifter lining and I would be stuck in what ever gear I was in. I called ford and ordered a new one. Im glad its an easy fix.

shifter cable