My 1997 Ford Ranger XL started having problems starting. At first I could wiggle the shifter around and it'd start, but it got to the point it wouldn't start. The shifter didn't line up with the letters (P, N, D, etc), and the shifter seemed sloppy. I figured I'd share what fixed it for me. Up under the dash near the steering wheel knuckle there is two torx screws that were loose. You can look up under there while moving the shifter around to find/see the two torx bolts and verify if they are loose. I used a little blue lock tight, tightened them up and all is fine now. The adjuster to align the shifter position with the letters is under also.

You can find info, pics, etc on the internet explaining this further. I just wanted to post this little blurb in the hopes IF someone else is having the same symptoms this may speed tracking the issue down quicker...