XUV gear shift button won't depress

I was wondering if anyone has experienced a problem with their gear shift button 'sticking' or not engaging. This happened for the first time today, and although it finally worked after 5 minutes or so of continuous attempts, this is something I would like to avoid in the future...I thought it might have been some wierd safety feature that I had launched inadvertantly but when it did work without my 'changing' anything, I figured that it couldn't be a safety or security feature. Any ideas?Thanks!

if your truck is 00 to 03 the shift lock solonoid is porb causing the prob
i replace several of these the solonoid is part of the shifter assmb.