Not sure a spillage on the shifter would cause this issue, but a spillage on the shifter can & will cause several issues. Too many electronic gizmos beneath the center console. That's why I don't allow any drinks in my car when driving. On any long trips, wife & I typically have water bottles to drink from with screw-on lids. And she handles the water bottles while I'm driving. If I need a drink, she hands me the water bottle to drink from & then I give it back to her to put the lid back on. Crossfire electronics are quirky enough without me adding to and/or creating any issues.

It will be interesting to see if anybody can help this OP with the source of his problem & solve this issue. Truly a '1st time' failure mode we've haven't discovered on this Forum.