stuck in park

[richard eth]

Hi guys, well I am hoping someone can help me out, you have in the past. My 2002 sportage 4 wheel drive is stuck in park. I have been told that there is a way to over ride the locking system so I can shift it, but they can't tell me how to do it. help!!

[bubbashrimp]

Well I just bought a 99 Sportage a couple of days ago, so I am no expert, but there is a button near the 4 wheel drive shift lever that I think will unlock it. There may be a cap covering the access hole. If so, pry it off with a screwdriver. Then put your key in the slot and while it is pushed down, push the shift release button and shift out of park. I got this from reading the owners manual which I downloaded from the Kia web site. I hope it helps.

[richard eth]

thanks, it worked!!

[bubbashrimp]

Great!!!

I am glad you could follow my directions. I said the button was by the 4WD shift lever but when I got in my Kia today I realized that it is up higher and near the automatic transmission shift lever.

[richard eth]

You wouln't happen to know why it locks up?

[bubbashrimp]

No I sure don't. A couple of days ago we tried to go to town. My wife was driving and the car was running horribly. No power at all. We couldn't even get out to the road -- and didn't want to. We would have been ran over for sure.

I had her stop and put it in neutral and rev it up. It reved up fine. When she put it back in drive it would barely run.

I told her to get out and let me try. She put it in park and we switched seats. I couldn't get it out of park! I popped the cap off the access hole, stuck the key in there and boom, it shifted out of park. It also started running okay. Go figure.

As a side note, in my haste to show my wife how to drive the car, I think I might have forgot to put my foot on the brake when I was trying to get out of park. Shhhhh. Don't tell her. She thinks I am brilliant.

So I guess I didn't answer your question, or maybe I did. My question is why did the car run so badly and then start running good again?