VW Golf 2001 unable to shift from park or neutral with ignition "on". potentially dangerous. Fortunately this time car was not in a dangerous location. This is the second failure of the brake light switch (and automatic shift lock switch) in this car with only 30588 miles. Replaced at dealer. I have the failed switch and (as an engineer) can see many flaws in the design, leading to arcs and contact sticking or non-operation. Research on the internet shows that many other owners have had this problem, some over 6 times. Applicable over a range of VW models and years. Canada had a recall for some VW models. VW should replace the switches with a better design under a lifetime warranty as a dangerous defect. My wife or one of the many others could have been trying to get off a train track when the thing locked.

- Rancho Palos Verdes, CA, USA