Shifter Assembly for a Vehicle and a Method of Operating the Same

A shifter assembly for selecting one of at least two states of a transmission for a vehicle, said assembly comprising:

• a housing having a first detent track defining at least a first channel;
• a shift lever coupled to and movable relative to said housing between at least a first lever position and a second lever position spaced from said first lever position for selecting each of the at least two states of the transmission;
• a first detent pin coupled to and selectively moveable relative to said shift lever between a locked position and an unlocked position with said first detent pin disposed within said first channel when said shift lever is in said first lever position and said first detent pin is in said locked position and said first detent pin spaced from said first channel when said first detent pin is in said unlocked position to permit movement of said shift lever between said first and second lever positions;
• a second detent track coupled to and movable with said shift lever between said first and second lever positions with said second detent track defining a second channel;
• and
• a locking member coupled to and moveable relative to said housing between a first position and a second position with a portion of said locking member aligned with said first detent pin when said shift lever is in said first lever position, said first detent pin is in said locked position, and said locking member is in said first position to retain said first detent pin in said locked position within said first channel and retain said shift lever in said first lever position;
• and
• wherein said locking member has a second detent pin disposed within said second channel when said shift lever is in said second lever position and said locking member is in said second position to retain said shift lever in said second lever position.