Had a shift problem with vehicle stuck in park, Used the pen trick to get home. It was the brake stop switch on brake pedal. Problem solved. Worked for a week fine, car all of a sudden gets stuck in park again, now when bipassed with pen the car is stuck in limp mode will not shift. No spills on Floor shifter, brake switch is good. Any suggestions???? I think its the floor shift module?? Any insight would be greatly appreciated! Thanks Rick

Hey, I have the same issue. 2000 C230, the car sat for a while and when I went to move it, it wouldn't shift out of park.

I have read about this pen trick to get into limp mode but couldn't seem to find the secret button to push. The brake switch seems to be functioning...it activates the brake lights.

Ideas anyone?

The brake switch has 2 sets of contacts, one normally open and one normally closed, the normally open set operate the brake switch. If the normally closed set fail it will keep the car in park (needs to see the normally open set go closed and the normally closed set go open, not just the normally closed set, it needs to see both happen), so it could still be the brake light switch. I definitely could be the shifter assembly as well. As the original poster mentioned, a fluid spill of any kind on or in the shifter can fry it out as well (water, coffee, soda, even cleaners sprayed on the shifter can migrate in and cause you to wish your shifter was dirty but operating). The procedure to manually unlock the shifter should be in the owners manual, I think you need to pull if the trim to get to the slot to release the shifter.
PS You may not be in limp home mode, very good chance you will be but not 100% certain until you get it out of park. Limp Home mode is a pretty slow speed, I want to say you will be stuck in 2nd or 3rd gear, so plan on using city streets and not highways until it gets fixed, I'd get it someplace where they can read out actual values on the brake light switch to check out the 2 sets of switches.

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