2000 FORD RANGER — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:LEVER AND LINKAGE:COLUMN SHIFT

ON OR ABOUT 8/1/05 I PARKED MY 2000 FORD RANGER XLT IN MY DRIVEWAY AND GOT OUT TO OPEN THE GATED PARKING SPACE AT MY RESIDENCE. VEHICLE JUMPED INTO REVERSE AND BACKED INTO THE STREET. MANAGED TO STOP IT BUT INJURED MY KNEE. FOUND PIN FROM SHIFTER MECHANISM ON THE FLOOR UNDER STEERING COLUMN THAT HAD FALLEN OUT OF SHIFTER. SHIFTER WOULD NOT STAY IN "PARK" AFTERWARDS BUT KEPT JUMPING INTO "NEUTRAL" AND "REVERSE". SPRING TENSION OF THE SHIFT INDICATOR WOULD PULL IT OUT OF "PARK" AS SOON AS THE LEVER WAS RELEASED. SHIFTER WOULD GO INTO "NEUTRAL" AND "REVERSE" AT RANDOM. HAD TO SHUT OFF THE VEHICLE AND RESTART WHEN I LEFT CAR EVEN BRIEFLY - NOT SOMETHING DRIVERS NORMALLY DO. VEHICLE POPPED INTO "NEUTRAL" ABOUT 75 TO 100 TIMES AND INTO "REVERSE" ABOUT 50 TIMES. HAD TO HOLD THE LEVER IN "PARK" TO RESTART. ABOUT A WEEK OR SO AFTER THE INITIAL FAILURE, I HEARD A LOUD "SPROING" AND A "SNAP" SOUND. SHIFT INDICATOR WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE RIGHT IN "D1" POSITION. IT NEVER WORKED AGAIN. SHIFT LEVER NOW STAYS WEAKLY IN "PARK" BUT POPS INTO GEAR SOMETIMES. FORD DEALER HAD NO INTEREST IN PROBLEM AND MERELY REFERRED ME TO MANUFACTURER. MANUFACTURER REFERRED ME BACK TO THE DEALER. SHIFTER MECHANISM IS DEFECTIVELY DESIGNED AND NOT FIT FOR ITS INTENDED USE. VEHICLE DOES NOT MEET FMVSS BECAUSE CRITICAL SHIFTER MECHANISM IS DEFECTIVE AND WILL FAIL CATASTROPHICALLY. GEAR SHIFT OUGHT TO WORK WITHOUT FAILURE FOR THE LIFE OF THE VEHICLE. FORD AND ITS DEALERS DO NOT HAVE ANY MEASURES