1995 LS400, 192k, my daily driver
About a few weeks ago the tail light/brake light indicator came up on the dash. I checked the rear bulbs and replaced the license plate bulbs as they were both burnt out.
when I start the car no lights are illuminated on the dash.
the second I touch the brake pedal the taillight indicator light comes on and stays on.
today I drove the car about 10 mins to a drive through,

As I tried to put the car in park at the window it would go from D to N but not from N to R. After sitting a few mins and shifting from 1,2,3,D,N it randomly let me into R and Park.
back into drive to move forward and same thing happened.

I prayed off the shift lock cover and using the button let me shift normally

could this be related to my taillight indicator?

I have read about cleaning a brake pedal sensor and cleaning contacts near the shifter? Any links to pics or a how to?

 

The top left rear taillight bulb was only running on 1 filament.
I replaced it and the wierd shifting behavior hasn't happened again....?

 

that's just a coincidence and that a bigger unrelated problem still remains. how silly would that be that a bulb out would be affecting the way you shift?!

the brake pedal releases the shifter, and sometimes the locking solenoid in the shifter does not respond. it could be the switch above the brake pedal itself, or more likely the locking solenoid under the shifter which is prone to spills and dirt/grime.

the last thing might have happened is the trunk lid wiring harness on the hinge is beginning to short itself (very common on 1st gen 90-94 models), due to constant open close over the years, causing issues you are experiencing. this is least likely but still a probability.

 

That instrument panel indicator is supposed to light up as soon as the brake light or tail-light is commanded to work and does not. So if it came on when you stepped on the brake, that is telling you the circuit thinks there's a problem with the brake light. If it would have come on when you turned the headlights/parking lights on, that would indicate a problem in the tail-light circuit.

I recently had this problem on my '91, and I found the problem to be a broken wire near the left trunk hinge. I think it was a yellow wire. Fixed that, and the problem is fixed. So I'd recommend that if the bulbs are all good, the wiring near the trunk hinge might be the next thing to check.