Shifter is stuck in park. had to remove little cover over hole, by the shifter, to insert key into hole, to get shifter to remove shifter from park. what causes this and is it something i can fix on my own?

These systems have solenoid which is controlled by the brake pedal.the solenoid should b located underneath shifter.u have to remove trim panels on shifter , access the solenoid and check for power an ground at solenoid with key on and brake pedal depressed. the solenoid unlocks the shifter gate that loks out gears until the brake pedal is depressd therefore allowing u to shift the shifter. not really hard to do.jus need to b careful on popping out plastic trim pieces and know how to nuse an voltmeter or test light. if u have power an ground at solenoid safe to say solenoid bad. also try tappin on solenoid while checking volts to see if it starts to work.if it does solenoid is bad

I believe this vehicle is equipped with a shift lock that necessitates depressing the brake pedal before it can be shifted out of "Park". This is a safety feature designed into almost every car made nowadays to prevent unintended movement of the vehicle when shifting out of "Park". The Shift Lock solenoid is triggered by the brake light switch located near the top of the brake pedal arm. Starting with the "basics", check to see if the brake lights are working (they should illuminate when the brake pedal is pressed. If the brakes lights do not come on. then proceed to check the brake/stop light fuse. Replace if needed. Once the brake lights are functioning, the shift lock should "disengage" and allow you to shift out of "Park" when the brake pedal is pressed. If the fuses are okay, but still no brake lights, then the Brake Light Switch may need to be replaced.

Brake lights working but won't shift out of "Park"? Check for a separate fuse for the Shift Lock Solenoid. Replace if needed. Otherwise the Shift Lock Solenoid may need to be replaced. This will require disassembly of the console to access the part.