My 2003 Dodge Dakota Sport 4.7 V8 with the 5 speed 545RFE automatic transmission has started to lock itself out of park and neutral on the indicator. It'll shift between reverse, drive, 2nd and 1st. It skips neutral and won't go into park. The linkage is fine and the shift lever moves through each gear just fine. This definitely seems like an electrical issue. I've had a lot of mixed information saying it's possibly a bad TCM, a bad neutral safety switch, or the CTM(Central Timer Module) has gone bad. There has been no explanation regarding how any of those 3 things could possibly go bad and this being the only symptom. I'm trying to narrow down what the issue is because I can't afford to just throw parts at this pickup. It's a great vehicle and still runs great, all things considered. The only DTC that ever comes up for the transmission is low voltage. That's why I'm going to buy a new battery today. It's been going bad for a few months now, but the shift indicator preventing the truck from starting started long before the battery started going bad. It mostly happens during the summer after trips in the heat lasting over 30 minutes. If I let the truck sit for about 45 minutes or more, it'll start without any issues. If it's a short stop, like getting fuel or a quick run into the super market, then the shift indicator drops into reverse as soon as I turn the key and the truck won't start.
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