Among other gremlins that makes my car rather interesting, however, this one appeared abruptly this morning and worries me. Here's the symptoms of the issue, maybe someone with a bit more know how can advise on issue & fix:

1) Abrupt issue with shifting out of park. The key in the "shift lock" beside console gear shifter is the only way to take it out of park. Otherwise, it shifts normally.

2) The car is an automatic and front wheel drive.

3) It could be unrelated (but then again, it could be related), but I've noticed it pulls to the passenger side and today, when we did a tune-up, the tech said the front passenger side wheel was hot. However, there was no sign of any untoward issues under the car (after seeing it, his first move was to check everything underneath for strange wear & tear, but it all appeared ok). He said the front brake caliper had likely seized and I should look into that as well.

4) About a week before I used the park brake for the first time... while it appeared to disengage, I have been told you either use it all the time or never use it. Again, it could be unrelated, but with the timing, you can't be sure.

The car is a 1992 Accord, 4-dr. Automatic & front wheel drive. It's a 2.2L 4 cylinder, and the first 3 letters of the VIN is is JHM... and yes, up here, telling parts stores and mechanics to watch for that has made the difference between getting the right parts and wrong parts for the car, lol.

Anyone have any insight or come across this issue before and its possible fix?

Brake switch. Check to see if when you press on the brake pedal, do you see your brake light? If not then your brake switch is bad.

http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/auto/jsp/mws/prddisplay.jsp?inputstate=5&catcgry1=ACCORD&catcgry2=1992&catcgry3=4DR+EX&catcgry4=KA5MT&catcgry5=PEDAL

Part #18

Thanks, one more question, how difficult a job would that be to fix?

I repalced one on my 1995 Integra, and it was a pain. But it also depends on how much space you have under the dash. If you are skinny you should not have any problems. I'm kind of fat, so it was difficult for me. But you should be able to do this your self, if you are mechanically inclined.

Looked at the assembly, and you know, I could have sworn I did smell something "electrical" inside the car recently. That would explain the sudden issue.

^ not sure that will be the issue. The switch is just a momentary switch, It has two switches, If you have cruise control. One is for the brake light and one is to disable your cruise control if you are using it.

I rebuilt the engine in my grandmother's car and that engine outlasted the tranny... and the body of the car, lol... so I shouldn't have issues with the "handy" part... but I'm not skinny although, my hands are small. I'm a bigger person than I should be by far, lol... are we talking my whole body fitting somewhere or a set of small, tough-but-delicate hands fitting somewhere?

The more you talk the more it sounds like it could be - the cruise stopped worked a short time ago too, and yes I have it.

Even if it isn't, it can't hurt to look though. And, if it's "just" a seized brake like the tech suggested it could be today, having a look if it ends up being a puzzle beyond that and having a starting point cuts the time spent in the shop by half.

When i did my Integra, I took out the front seat. Then i laid down to make it easier. You might want to have anther set of hands there to hand you tools and what not. I did mine by myself and that prolly why it was a pain. Plus i did mine at 2am. Couldn't sleep.

I'll likely have to take out the front seat too. The good news is that it isn't a huge rush. I can't drive it like that, but it's my summer toy, lol, so it's not as if I'm without options to get around.

Cool. Well good luck. Hope i was able to help....:wave:

I'll let you know how it goes on the weekend.