[tcbonline]

The gear shift on my 1997 SR5 will not come out of park normally by pushing the button on the side like normal.

It's probably necessary to give you a little background on this issue to get the full picture...

A few months ago, the ignition key cylinder on my 4runner wore out and had to be replaced. At the time, a tow service had to pick the car up because the key would not turn to unlock the steering or get the car out of park. The towing guy punched this hole near my shifter to "unlock" it...




So I had the ignition lock cylinder replaced and all was well afterwards.

Now... months later, suddenly my car will not come out of park without manually taking a small screwdriver and poking it into that hole and pushing down. Only then can I push in the side button on the shifter and take it out of park.

Any ideas what the heck is going on and how I can fix that?

Thanks for any advice on this.

[AntleredRuin]

There's an electric shifter lock in the gear shift mechanism. It needs to be plugged in and have power in order to shift from Park. This keeps you from shifting into other gears when the 4Runner is turned off.

Just remove the plastic cover and make sure that it's plugged in. Should be pretty obvious; it's just a basic plug. Don't confuse it with the gear shift light, obviously.

If plugged in, take a multi meter to the pigtail and confirm that it's getting voltage. I'm assuming the basic 12v volts, as the battery can activate it just fine.

Past that, I don't know.

[tcbonline]

Originally Posted by AntleredRuin

There's an electric shifter lock in the gear shift mechanism. It needs to be plugged in and have power in order to shift from Park. This keeps you from shifting into other gears when the 4Runner is turned off.

Just remove the plastic cover and make sure that it's plugged in. Should be pretty obvious; it's just a basic plug. Don't confuse it with the gear shift light, obviously.

If plugged in, take a multi meter to the pigtail and confirm that it's getting voltage. I'm assuming the basic 12v volts, as the battery can activate it just fine.

Past that, I don't know.

Hmm ... you've given me some ideas. I didn't realize there's an electrical component to it. I posted another thread today talking about some electrical issues I was having also, where my entire instrument cluster lights are out also. This must be all related then. I'll have to try to chase down the electrical issues to fix it all. Thanks for the tip, you've pointed me in the right direction I think.

[phattyduck]

There is a solenoid that must be activated to allow the shifter to move out of Park. This takes ignition power (ECU-IG fuse), accessory power (ACC fuse) and the brake lights to be on (STOP fuse and brake switch working).

Verify all those fuses are good, and if not, track down that electrical problem...

-Charlie

[oldirtyboe]

This actually helped me on my 90 sr5. Wondered why it was a pain to get out of park. Didin't have a battery in it.

[brillo_76]

Yes must have power but we can always over ride it with the emergency tow switch located beside the shifter to override that solenoid circuit.

The brake light switch is also involved in that circuit as I had that stop light pedal switch go in a 1991 Camry and it wouldn't come out of park. ;)

Sent from my SM-J337V using Tapatalk

[DaveL]

I have also had a similar issue with a faulty brake light switch on a 2007 Avalon. There is an electrical solenoid interlock which prevents it from coming out of park unless your foot is on the brake. It is a safety feature.

I think this is the most common reason for your symptoms...... although after your description of the other electrical issues then they are all probably related. Most cars will have a little plug to remove from the shifter area to allow you to push the solenoid lock out of the way to use the shifter regardless of whether the brake is engaged or even if the car is on.