'03 Legacy only starts in neutral

[tfrasca]

I put Outback struts and springs on my Legacy, drove it through some mud, and when I went to start it again after parking, it wouldn't start. It also wouldn't come out of park. So I used the transmission override switch next to the shifter, and it started right up in neutral.

 

It was like this for about an hour, then as soon as I put the front on ramps, it acted as it should. It's been fine since.

 

Is there a neutral switch that could have gotten wet or knocked loose to cause an intermittent failure?

[rfesu]

i've found there are some error codes (unrelated to the transmission) that can be set that prevent it from going into gear once it's been shut off so you have to use the button. i'd assume their reasoning is if a critical system like braking or whatever can't be trusted it's not safe to drive. if you pop an ABS fuse on my car the exact same thing happens until you replace it. not saying that's what happened but since you drove through mud maybe you packed up a wheel sensor or something, and it panicked?