Hi, I'm new to the boards. I was just out driving my Cavalier and when I pulled up to my parking spot I put it in park and tried to turn the car off. I was able to turn it off but I couldn't get my key to come out. That was when I noticed that my gear selector was able to freely move from park to any other gear and back without me pressing the brake. I'm not too well versed in cars like this and I was wondering if you guys had any thoughts about the problem. Is the whole transmission screwed or could it possibly be something less expensive? Thank you so much for any help you can provide.

My Cavalier is a 1998 4 door automatic.

 

I doubt it's your transmission that's gone.

Every car has a safety device called a " shift interlock " which is a solenoid or relay that's activated by depressingthe brake pedal allowing the shift lever to move out of park.