2011 Pathfinder shifter assembly

[jerrylicarie]

Two years ago, I had the dreaded unable to shift out of park issue on my 2011 Pathfinder. After investigation I was able to determine it was simply the park position micro switch that had worn a bit and was no longer making contact with shifter in park. After a bit of gentle persuasion, I was able to bend the tab enough to get it working again. Now, two years later it is acting up again. My question to all is, why do they not seem to sell micro switch alone for the 3rd gens? They only sell the entire shift assembly and its outrageously priced and hard to find. They sell the micro switch for the 2013's-2020. Looks identical, but they say it doesn't fit. May be just the connector in which case i can just splice it in. Anyone have ideas or experience?

[VStar650CL]

You might want to check Mouser and Digi-Key for the right switch, there's usually a number (at least a series ID if not a full p/n) on the back side. The brown switches are usually Mountain or Omron, the turquoise ones are Panasonic.

The reason it's acting up again is because bending the lever only relocates the problem. The underlying issue is that arcing inside the switch has gradually eroded the contact plating. When you bend the arm it moves the contact spot by a few thousandths and restores function for awhile, but once the erosion reaches the new spot the switch is done-done and further bending won't help.

[VStar650CL]

PS - The reason you get arcing inside the switch is because the shift solenoid coil is an unsnubbed inductive load. It will generally have a dump diode, but no snubber. You can slow the erosion way down by soldering a 1~10 microfarad capacitor across the switch with the plus leg toward the solenoid. That will sop up the high-voltage spike from the low side of the coil when the switch opens, protecting the contacts. With a cap installed on the line, the new switch will almost certainly outlive the vehicle.