Automatic Transmission Floor Shift problems of the 1998 Hyundai Elantra

After entering a highway my Elantra came to a complete stop on the highway from 65 mph and the engine died. I later had to replace the front brakes and wheel bearings on the side I swerved into and I'm sure that is what caused the problem. I heard a woman complain about this same situation that happened to her twice to a dealership mechanic while she was having the transmission on her Elantra checked out. I think this problem results from there being no lock on the shifter between neutral and drive. It takes very little effort to pop the shifter into neutral (like a coat sleeve) and I think I touched it while reaching for my radio. This sent the engine into very high revs which caused the vacuum system to fail and then caused the power brakes to fall to the floor.