Toyota Repair: 1996 Camry Ingition / Transmission Fiasco, park position, steering wheel


Question
Are you able to shift out of park without depressing the brake pedal? NO

Are you able to remove the key in park and neutral without depressing the brake pedal? YES / YES

Are you able to remove the key in any gear position without the brakes applied? YES

Do the brake lights work? YES

Does the engine start in any gear position other than park and neutral? NO

Are you able to shift into Drive or Reverse without applying the brakes? DO YOU MEAN FROM THE PARK POSITION?  IF SO, NO.  I CAN HOWEVER SHIFT FROM DRIVE INTO NEUTRAL W/O APPLYING THE BRAKES.

Thanks Ted!
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Followup To
Question -
1996 Camry LE V6 - automatic transmission - 90k miles.  The car no longer requires that the car be in Park to remove the key from the ignition.  I've twice now managed to turn the car off in Neutral and remove the key, only to have the car begin rolling - very exciting stuff!  Thanks in advance Ted ~
Answer -
It sounds like a shift interlock problem, I will need a little more information:
Are you able to shift out of park without depressing the brake pedal?
Are you able to remove the key in park and neutral without depressing the brake pedal?
Are you able to remove the key in any gear position without the brakes applied?
Do the brake lights work?
Does the engine start in any gear position other than  park and neutral?
Are you able to shift into Drive or Reverse without applying the brakes?
The more concise your answers to these questions the more I can help so please read them carefully before responding.  

Answer
The problem I'm seeing is that you can remove the key in all gear positions, the key should only come out of the ignition in the park position.
It seems that the problem is in the shift interlock system, there are two solenoids that can cause this problem, one is located directly below the ignition switch, remove the covers around the steering wheel to find it, the other one is located in the center console on the shift mechanism, there are a lot of moveable parts that make up the interlock system and most are made of plastic, it is common for these parts to stick because soft drinks etc. spillage into the console, the sugar causes the sticking, remove the center console and try to spray a solution of mild soap and water on the moving parts while moving the shifter