the parking gear may not engage, even though the gear shift lever is placed in the "park" position. this occurs if the linkage inside the transmission that actuates the park gear was improperly manufactured. a pin that retains components on a linkage (actuating) rod could break and the linkage may not engage the parking gear.
the shift indicator may not accurately reflect the shift selector position. some vehicles were produced with transmission control selector tube retaining clips that may not be hard enough. the clip may loosen or fall off, and the selector tube may become displaced.