Today my wife and I were out in her 4Runner. We stopped at a store, went in for 10 minutes and came back out. I put the key in the ignition, turned it to on and tried to start the 4runner. It wouldn’t start. There was no crank no nothing, it didn’t even try to start. I looked around and noticed the radio wasn’t illuminated and gear shift indicator on dash wasn’t showing a gear. She also has/had an aftermarket remote start installed.

I gave it a few minutes tried again and nothing. I proceeded to disconnect the battery, waited 10 minutes and tried again, still no difference. I tried remote starting it, it cycled the lights and the dash lit up (same as if I had the key in) and you could tell it was trying to start but it was doing the same thing and wouldn’t even attempt to crank or anything. I started pressing buttons on her key (she has a physical key not push to start) and the remote start and some how it started but the dash and radio were still on the fritz. I tried to shut it off with the key and it wouldn’t shut off even after I turned it to off and removed the key. I tried to kill it with the remote start and also by pressing the brake (supposed to shut the engine off after the remote start is activated) and it wouldn’t shut off. I had to disconnect the battery to get it to shut off.

I removed the battery and walked to the nearest parts store. They tested it and said it was good so I walked back. Hooked jumper cables up to it after a friend showed up and it was still no difference so that should rule out a bad battery. I’m stumped! We’re having it towed to the dealer but is there anything else I can try here?! Attached is a video.



2019 4Runner starting problem - YouTube

Rodents chewed wiring?

I'd have the battery tested again in the truck. If it still tests OK, I'd start looking closer at the aftermarket remote starting system.

Not showing gear? Try starting it in neutral.

My guess: The Neutral Safety Switch is telling the engine control module that you're not in Park so it won't let you start the engine.

Aftermarket remote start. I missed that. Yeah, I’m suspicious too.

Most likely the aftermarket remote starter is the issue. If not the unit itself, then the sloppy way those things are usually installed.

can you remove the remote start or at least unplug power to it? this is the issue with remote starts. even if they are installed properly by a real pro they can still cause problems later. this is my guess. my vehicle came with a remote start and I removed that right away. they spliced right into the wires and when removing the unit and sealing up all the splices I found one factory wire completely severed in half, being held together by the splice........ good thing I had the tools and equipment to fix it properly or my rig would have been effed half in my garage...

OP did you notice the shifter being difficult when trying to cycle the gears recently?

My son bought a used Corolla with aftermarket remote start a few years ago. Long story short, it developed a problem where it would attempt to start the car, hold the starter energized after the engine started, or create a parasitic drain. I located the two 30-amp fuses in the steering column and removed them. Problem solved. I don't like remote starts now lol.

As Humble Leader mentioned - hard to shift? - if so points to the gear selector / neutral safety switch. It's mounted on the upper right side of the transmission and is subject to corrosion which makes it hard to move. It's poorly sealed and living in New York with salted road winters, makes this a likely suspect.

There are threads dealing with this including one where a member removed his, took it apart and cleaned it as a temp solution. Search on hard to shift or neutral safety switch replacement.

Chrysler vehicles can forget an authorized key. Usually the second factory key will start the vehicle.

as someone who parks their rig outside during winter I can definitely appreciate not having to scrape ice and getting into a warm vehicle. I don't have a remote start and never have had one. I always find myself asking "do I really need this, is it that much work to just throw the keys in and start the vehicle and not have to worry about electrical gremlins at some point" because they aren't cheap

I do like the idea of the accessorides one though that is completely plug and play and if you have issues with it you can easily remove it. for my MY 4runner it's two jumper harnesses under the dash - that's it. but I still haven't bought one yet - I go back and forth with it because it's a 'nice to have' for me. it's a basic system but basic is good when it comes to these electrical mods. I have not heard of anyone with an issue with the accessorides remote start and have only heard positive things about them

Yeah, I understand the appeal. In the case of that Corolla, it took out the battery, starter, and alternator (I think it messed with the voltage regulator, as new brushes didn't fix it). Plus there was the annoying need to jump in the mornings because of the drained battery. It actually energized while I was troubleshooting and the starter cranked for maybe a second. Like you, I see this type of thing as a convenience, and therefore am not too interested in dropping $$ on something like this. If my only interaction with a remote start involved me spending hundreds of dollars recovering from it, then no thanks lol.