That would be the turn signal switch. Not terribly hard to replace, but you do need to pull the airbag, the steering wheel, the clock spring and the lock plate to get to it.
Sounds like the Brake shift interlock is acting up. What I can't recall is whether the turn signal switch issue that causes the left/right brake lights to not illuminate correctly also causes issues with the shift interlock not releasing like it should. I'll let someone else chime in regarding that.