The Nissan Path

Hello,

I have a 2006 Pathfinder which is stuck in park. I can pop the tab and press down on the plunger to get it out of park with no problem. I've disassembled the center console to the point where I've verified that this is a bad connection at the shift-lock solenoid (I can tell this by pressing down on the connection, and it starts working again when I step on the brake -- I can reproduce it consistently)

The trouble I'm having is getting to that area. My hands are not small. I need to remove the trim around the shift assembly, but I've been unsuccessful in figuring out how. I've removed everything except the trim along the sides of the shift assembly. For that part, I've got the screws removed from the front (under the dash) on both sides, but this part of the trim is well-connected to the piece behind it (where the cup holders are), and I cannot figure out how to separate them without breaking something.

Anyone with a DIY on this?

TIA,
Larry

The trim finisher around the cup holder and the finisher around the shifter are held in with spring clips; remove the one around the cup finisher first. When you remove the cup finisher, you'll see two Phillips head screws just behind the shifter finisher that will need to be removed. There are also screws at the front of the center console, just below the dash. Go to the back of the console and remove the rear cup holder assy. With that out of the way, you'll see some 10MM head bolts that attach the console to the floor which need to be removed (I think there's two, but could be four...I don't remember). There "may" be a couple more Phillips head screws below the shifter finisher that you will see when the finisher is removed out of the way. I'm pretty sure that's it and you can pull the center console out of the way, but, as you do, you need to unplug the harness connectors for the power sockets and the rear controls.
FYI, I had a similar incident on my 08 Pathy. It turned out to be a micro-switch that isn't visible until you remove the shift actuator out of the way. There's a small lever on the micro-switch that is depressed by the shift lever when it is moved to the PARK position. The micro-switch is not sold separately and comes with the entire shifter assy. I was able to carefully bend the metal lever on the micro-switch and got it working, again. I can't say that this is "your" problem, but wanted you to be aware of it. Also, the shift actuator is a real pain in the tail to remove and install. It just clips into a bracket on the left side of the shifter, but it's getting the rods in and out of position that makes it difficult.

There are many videos on YouTube. Here's the one I used from an '08. https://youtu.be/C0XIUi8Ne54

Thanks for the responses; I really appreciate it. I was afraid I was going to have to take the seats out in order to remove the center console.

take pics and post if you can. Interested to see this.