My 98 Windstar has a problem with the shifter. It's extremely difficult to get it to shift into park, which prevents it from starting if you didn't get it into park the last time you drove it, and the van will actually start rolling if you don't get it into park (this is odd to me, because I thought if it was in gear, it wouldn't move once the engine is turned off). You have to pull the lever down and almost slam it into park (I know, this is making it worse, but that's the only way my wife knows how to make it work). Also, when you shift OUT of park, it feels like it's in reverse because it only went over one notch, but it's actually in neutral and has skipped right over reverse. Putting it in drive is just as bad - there's just this big, loose area that encompasses reverse, neutral, and drive and you can barely hear a faint click when switching between them. The best way I can describe it is "sloppy". The transmission seems fine when driving, no problem going through the gears. Just getting it to shift into the right gear to begin with is the problem, so I wonder if it's a problem with a linkage or something right in the steering column or something, it almost has to be something simple. Thanks in advance for any help!

Sounds like you need transmission work. In the meantime to help from worsening the shifter she can try starting the vehicle in neutral rather than fighting the shifter