This happened to me a while back on the Bumblebee...
IIRC, the problem was that the cable had rusted in place in the tube. But you drive your car pretty often right? That shouldn't be the case. Still... shoot some WD-40 or your favorite penetrant up into the tube and maybe you can work it loose.
Or maybe I've confused this problem with something else.
I've had a couple of glasses of wine.
-Rusty