Well, it happened again today, while I was parallel parking. Not only did **** and boot come off, the section of the silver console loosened as well (giving me an unexpected tour of how the console fastens, i.e., plastic clips). Good news: you can shift and drive the car without the ****. I looked and looked and could see nothing resembling a retaining nut; there is a silver-colored metal four-pronged collar assembly sticking down from the **** itself. As far as I can tell, spring action of the prongs is the only thing holding the **** on to the shifter shaft. Seems a queer design, a simple nut/bolt or dowel going through collar would do the job.

Does anyone have a pic of what this "retaining nut" is supposed to look like? Or a part number?