Can't put in PARK, loose / sloppy colum shifter

[R***A**N**G**E***R]

So I went out to get in my truck and I start it up and put my foot on the brake and grabbed the shifter and put it in drive and IMMEDIATELY noticed how LOOSE and SLOPPY it feels so I put it back in park and it would NOT go into park only reverse, I do have reverse/neutral/drive/2/low just no park and of course the shifter level is real loose.

Then I felt something under my shoe and found this torx/star bolt on my floor mat, this bolt has no earthly reason for being there other then following out of my steering column/shifter area ( don't you agree? )

SOOOOO my question is do you think something just came loose after 14 years of use of the shifter lever OR do you think something BROKE inside there?

Please tell me I do NOT have to remove my actual steering wheel to investigate the shifting lever mechanism/ missing bolt area.

Below is the bolt in question. I can still drive the truck but have to use the emergency brake now and I am affraid something is going to let go COMPLETLY in the colum shifter and I will be Ffuucckkeedd

 

[R***A**N**G**E***R]

So I went out to get in my truck and I start it up and put my foot on the brake and grabbed the shifter and put it in drive and IMMEDIATELY noticed how LOOSE and SLOPPY it feels so I put it back in park and it would NOT go into park only reverse, I do have reverse/neutral/drive/2/low just no park and of course the shifter level is real loose.

Then I felt something under my shoe and found this torx/star bolt on my floor mat, this bolt has no earthly reason for being there other then following out of my steering column/shifter area ( don't you agree? )

SOOOOO my question is do you think something just came loose after 14 years of use of the shifter lever OR do you think something BROKE inside there?

Please tell me I do NOT have to remove my actual steering wheel to investigate the shifting lever mechanism/ missing bolt area.

Below is the bolt in question. I can still drive the truck but have to use the emergency brake now and I am affraid something is going to let go COMPLETLY in the colum shifter and I will be Ffuucckkeedd

Just got it fixed,luckily I found were the bolt wiggled out after14 years of driving, was kinda a bitch to get back in but it is in.