2001 Ford Escape will not shift in gear properly. It shows that you are in drive but doesn't feel like it. You have to keep moving gear to find drive, reverse, etc. regardless of what it is reading. Help!

Are you stepping on the brake pedal try a little harder if same thing the shift lock in the column went and must be replaced

A detent is a notch or notches in a part used to keep a shifter (in this case) at a certain position. Be that an automatic or stick-shift. You can imply that the shift pattern on a stick-shift has detents for each gear as the shift lever locks and slides in and out of each position for that gear to work when the clutch is released. The detents on an automatic can resemble "steps" which engage a different gear or series of gears(drive) when a certain step is locked into position by a pressure bar or pressure lever.

Sometimes the pressure bar or pressure lever is spring loaded and your hand works against that tension to select a gear or function(drive). There may be an adjustment for the spring tension, or the spring is too weak and the shift assembly must be replaced.

With electronic shift solenoids, some of the shift assembly is different than with the old-style mechanical shifter. The action may be fly by wire with electronic shifts.

I do not know what you have, so there may be differences.

It needs adjusted

seems like your shift cable is disconnected , you might have hit it when you were working on the alternator just go back and re-trace your steps

transmission shifting solenoid(s)... could be a broken wire or bad solenoids.
best regards
Ck

Check at the transmisiion where the link hooks up chances are it has come loose or stripped any vehicle will not start if the safety nuetral switch is in any position other than park or nuetral you may be able to move it manuallly with your hand to place it into any of these gears.

have you checked the fluid level, and have you tried more than drive and reverse. (L1, L2 etc), also are you feeling a definite shift feeling between gears, does the shifter feel like its moving properly. other than those problems, there is not much you can do unless you have transmission experience..

sounds like the link on the box has poped off have a look under the car at the selector arm if its not moving the shaft its the gear linkage in the car

it sound like you have a vacum leak or your shifter cable may need adjusted

Depending on whether it is a column shift or floor, you have to get the linkage loose enough to get the car in neutral, move the selector back to the proper setting, and tighten everything up.

If the car is not setting on a hill or incline, you should be able to move the shift levers by hand when you've loosened the linkage and move it until it is in neutral. Put on jack stands and chock the wheels that are on the ground.