For those with H2's. There are two problems that appear to occur rather often. These are:

• The key will not come out of the ignition and therefore not allow you to park the truck.

• The Truck will not shift out of PARK resulting in your inability to move or even easily tow the truck.

Needless to say when this happens it is VERY aggravating.

There is a simple solution to these problems to get you out of a bind. To do this you will need two tools. KEEP THESE TOOLS IN YOUR TRUCK AT ALL TIMES.

For the key problem you will need a "torx" wrench set. You can buy these as a complete set at most hardware stores. Get the set that folds into a handy tool, it is harder to lose that way.

For the stuck in park problem you will need a medium (#2) Phillps screwdriver.

Here is the procedure:

KEY PROBLEM:

For the key problem, use the torx wrench and remove the single screw on the bottom of the steering wheel housing (the dark grey/black plastic thing that covers the space between the steering wheel and the dash). There is a top and bottom piece.

Press hard on the seam between top and bottom, while pulling down on the bottom piece (use the screw driver to pry the lip if you have to) the bottom piece will come off. Note that it is possible to break the plastic piece and that the plastic piece uses little hooks to lock the top and bottom together. If you break it, it is not that big a deal as you can get a new one but it costs around $100.

Right behind the key is a "button" that looks like a cylinder. This points down. If you press this, you can now remove the key. If you are enterprising, you can have someone drill a hole in the bottom piece where the button is so if it happens again, you can just stick something in the hole (your screwdriver from above) to get the key out.

Another solution is to carry a small drill bit in the truck and drill the hole if you need to (by turning it by hand).

STUCK IN PARK PROBLEM:

This is a more serious problem as the truck is totally immobilized. You will have to do something if you want to get to where you are going. Fortunately, the solution is very easy.

Open the center console glove box and using the star screw driver, remove the 4 screws that hold the center console "box" in place. The box is the tub right under the flip-up door.

Remove the tub then stick your hand into the hole toward the shifter. While jiggling the shifter, feel where the bottom of the shifter goes. Somewhere near the bottom, you will feel a round mushroom-shaped thing, with the round part facing the PASSENGER SIDE. If you press on this, the shifter can now be shifted out of park using the regular method. You need to hold the button down when you want to shift out of park. The lock is only for park so all other gears are ok from this point on.

What is the cause of the problem?

One frequent cause is a broken wire that goes to the shifter (the break is located in the center console). This wire controls both the key removal and the parking lock. If you have either of these problems then have the cable checked.

David