I have a 2002 escort zx2 I am unable to depress the button on the side of the shifter on an automatic what would cause this its suppose to be ablle to depress while you depress the brake pedal ,depress the button and shift into gear but will not

sounds like a linkage problem or maybe something restricting it. take the top off at the lever and check the connections.

this car has a shift solenoid near the base of the shifter. The solenoid is energized when you stepp on the brake pedal to shift it out of park. If the solenoid is bad or stuck you'll get this problem.

first check the owners' manual to find which fuse protects this circuit for the shift solenoid (pobably the brake light fuse). Make sure the fuse is good---if so, remove the console around the shifter to get to the solenoid. check for power at the solenoid (with brake pedal depressed), using a test light. If power is present, clean the solenoid and lube it with WD-40 and retry to see if it works. If no power, check wiring harness for damaged or shorted wires.
If it gets power and still doesn't work replace the solenoid.

there may also be a bypass button, i'll look into it and get back to you.

there's a little hole on the shifter face in the upper right corner that is covered by a cap. pop the cap off with a screwdriver and find something about the size of a pencil and slide all the way to the bottom of the hole. it's a override for the shift solenoid.

no, i may be wrong, cann't find any thing on lock bypass, only on removing console to get to cable??

http://www.feoa.net/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=482150

(Ford Owners Network Association)

funny i cann't find that info on alldata, it should be in the owners manual then?

Are the "Brake Lights" working?

Have you "Ruled Out" Blown "Fuses" or "Circuit Breakers"?

If the above "Check Out", then replace the "Shifter Interlock Solenoid".

how did the repair go?