Console shifter hard to move from Reverse to Park.

My cousin has a 2007 Ford Taurus with the pushrod 3.0L. It has the console shifter and it is hard to move the shift lever into Park from Reverse. The shifer moves out of park and to every other gear with normal effort. The gear indicator correctly displays the shifter position. It drives/shifts perfectly fine. The only problem is that it is hard to move the shifter from Reverse into Park. It feels like there is a rubbery, or somewhat mushy threshold/resistance that needs to be overcome with a moderate amount of effort to get the shifter into park. Once the shifter is in Park it feels normal meaning you don't have to hold or force the shifter to stay in park.

It is frustrating because it seems most other people have a problem with the shfiter being hard to move from Park to Reverse or Neutral, but she is having the opposite issue.

Any ideas? Will it hurt the car to keep shoving the shifter into park when necessary without getting it fixed?

If she tries to shift directly from Drive to Park is there still resistance, or is it only if she hesitates at Reverse, then tries to shift to Park? Maybe for the time being she can shift from reverse to neutral, then to Park?

-Rod

If she tries to shift directly from Drive to Park is there still resistance, or is it only if she hesitates at Reverse, then tries to shift to Park? Maybe for the time being she can shift from reverse to neutral, then to Park?

-Rod

No, it behaves the same regardless of the position the shifter is in before trying to shift into Park. If I quickly move the lever from any position, I encounter the same resistance between Reverse and Park.

From glancing through the factory service manual section on the floor shift and symptoms, it sounds like most likely either the brake shift interlock linkage is misadjusted or the the gear selector cable is out of adjustment or the bracket is loose.

-Rod