94 4 runner won't shift out of park, and brake lights dont work

[ezekel]

hey everybody, one of my girlfriends has a 1994 (i think its 94) 4runner. yesterday after she got out of class it would'nt shift out of park. after searching and being told that there is a switch or something that you have to depress to make it work again...a safety feature.

she got that working, but now whenever she turns off the car, and turns it back on, she has to hit that switch every time.

question:

I'm not fimiliar with toyota cars (honda man) so what exactly is that safety feature?

why would it require her to hit that switch everytime?

question 2:

after that problem, her brake lights would not work. we go to murrays (auto store) and replace the bulbs, nothing. we check the fuses and nothing broken. could it be the wrong blubs? anything else that would cause that problem?

thanks for all your help, and i will always be searching for my answers (on enough forums to know to search before asking )

 

[regularguy412]

She's pressing the shift/lock override. (on the center console) Next time, just tell her to press the brake pedal and hold it down, while shifting out of park.

Check fuses first. Even tho a fuse may 'look' good, it may not have continuity,, or it may just have some corrosion on it and not making good contact in the fuse holder.

Mike in AR

 

[ezekel]

thanks for the reply so would pressing the brake while holding the button "reset" it to default?

ill double check the fuses more closly to be sure, but if its not the fuses, would there be another reason or why it stopped working just after the button locked?

i won't be able to look at it until tomorow morning

 

[BC4Runner]

It may also be a bad brake light switch on the brake pedal. If it's not working that may cause the shift interlock not to work as well.

 

[regularguy412]

Electricals are always tough to diagnose. On these older vehicles, the insulation on the wires get brittle and cause shorts. In some cases the grounds get corroded or loose and cause the bulbs to not burn.

AFAIK, default for the shift lock 'is' to have to depress the brake to move the shifter out of park. It's that way on all the Camrys an Corollas I've owned, as well as my 4Runner.

Mike in AR