I drained my 12V battery overnight (the dome lights stayed on because a door was ajar). I wanted to push the car a few feet to get easier access to my battery. With the key in the "on" position and brake depressed, I couldn't shift the gear to neutral. Everything was normal after I jump started the car and drove for a bit.

It just seems like a bad thing that you can't shift out of park if you have a dead battery or similar electrical failure.

I think, at this point, every vehicle is like that. No electric to release the brake pedal lock means you have to use the override. The override is under a cap located above the "P" on the shift column.

Ah, I never noticed that override before. I just tried it, and now it seems bad that you can shift to neutral w/o the key. But at least the steering column stays locked.