Mercury 1996 Sable Manual page 224

Your vehicle is equipped with a Brake Shift
Interlock safety feature. This feature prevents the
gearshift from being moved from the P (Park)
position until the brake pedal is depressed. This
feature is active when the ignition is in the ON
position. If the gearshift lever CANNOT be
moved from P (Park) with the brake pedal
depressed:
1. Turn the engine off and remove the ignition
key.
2. Reinsert the ignition key and turn clockwise
to the first position (OFF).
3. Depress the brake pedal, move the gearshift
lever to N (Neutral) and start the engine.
If you need to shift out of P (Park)
by using the alternate procedure
described above, it is possible that a
fuse has blown and that your
brakelamps may also not be
functional. Please refer to the chapter
titled Servicing Your Vehicle in this
Owner Guide for instructions on
checking and replacing fuses. DO
NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE
UNTIL YOU VERIFY THAT THE
BRAKELAMPS ARE WORKING.
RWARNING
197