Not saying that mine is the only possible cause, nor is yours. How did you get to it?

One other quick way is to get a socket or wrench on the selector plate and turn it, but access is very limited.

I have seen everything from banging on it with brute force to really hacking it up.

You could try spraying everything several times, I just prefer to see what I am dealing with. Thanks for your clarification sir.

Cheers to all!

 

A little PB Blaster helped me!

 

If you catch it early, a little spray helps. Mine was so locked up I had to put a socket over the selector plate with a speed handle and extension. When I attempted to loosen the nut, lo and behold, the shifter suddenly lurched free and struck me in the side of the leg as it moved toward the driver's seat.

You could spray it all real good and use the socket and see if that added leverage helps free it up along with working the shifter handle.

Each one is going to ary based upon the degree of screwed-upness it possesses.
Depends on how screwed up it is.