Won't shift into 4h.

I have a 2016 Tacoma TRD Offroad and it's been having issues shifting into 4H. Not 4 low, but 4H. I roll and it used to shift, now the light flashes and it won't engage. I got stuck in the sand today. So frustrating. I've tried many combinationstudents of turning off the truck, shifting into neutral, turning the noble back and forth. Nothing works...I'm in Mexico so the dealer is closed and I have the rest of the weekend. I would really like to play. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

It sounds like you have tried all the obvious methods to get it to work. I've never had a significant issue getting in and out of 4hi. I'm usually rolling when I make the switch and that might be the difference.

If you are in sand in 2wd trying to switch to 4wd, the slipping rear axle will be a different speed than the front axle. I could see that causing problems with shifting on the fly into 4hi. Once you are stopped you could probably get it into 4Lo to get you un-stuck.

You don't need to be in neutral to switch in and out of 4hi. (you may already know that and were just trying anything to get it to work).

I would say that if you are on a regular dirt road and driving straight ahead, it should go into 4hi without issue. If you have a problem under those conditions, it sounds like an actuator problem or some other issue that needs to be repaired.

Good luck. Let us know how it goes.

 

Thanks HalfWay There. Yep...tried all that. I have a feeling it's gotta go in for a repair. Totally sucks that this happens with a new truck and on vacay. Anyways....I'll keep you posted.

 

I don't know if it is really relevant but on my 2nd generation it wouldn't really engage after I bought it. Took it to my mechanic and they basically smacked the actuator a few times with a hammer and it started working. Not hard enough to damage anything but kind of like you used to have to hit your tv to make the channel come in clear...

 

C'mon now...you really expect these kids to remember anything like that?

 

I noticed something similar as well when I tried to shift into 4H on variable and loose terrain while rolling. The light just kept flashing and 4H didn't engage until I slowed down and drove straight. Have you tried throwing it in reverse to get it to engage? I think there is something with the system where it won't engage if you are having wheel spin and the tires turned or something. I will test this theory once I get my rig back (it's sitting in the service dept. right now for another issue...go figure). Kinda defeats the purpose of a 4x4 IMO if that's the case.

 

Fast blink(.25 sec. on/.25 sec. off) or slow blink(.5 sec on/.5 sec off)?

 

Yep...I've tried reverse, stop and turn nob in Neutral. Slow forward and reverse. I've done 55mph....stop turned off the truck. Geesh...at this point I figure I've tried it all.

However....I'm not sure how long it blinks for. I'll go check this out too. Not sure if it's slow oresponse fast blink.

 

Update: So far they were able to see that it didn't work when I brought it in, however the next day they went to work on it, it shifted in to 4h no problem. They believe that it may be something mechanical with the actuator. They've opened a ticket with Toyota and will be keeping it for at least another day. They're covering the rental and have been very helpful.

I'll continue to update as I get more details. Evidently you only have to roll slightly forward for it to shift into 4h...that's never worked for me since I got the truck. I've always had to be moving at least 10 mphone for it to shift. So, we'll see.

 

Good that they're working on it. Hopefully it will be fixed soon!

 

Thanks Ridin' Dirty. Yeah, I'm hoping soon. We'll see what they say, but it appears that they're leaning toward replacing the actuator.

I need my baby back soon.

 

Totally understand on wanting your truck back, and them fixing it quickly. Beautiful truck BTW.

 

Rocky point?

 

Highwey....yep, Rocky Point. Love it down there.

 

Same here. I've gone whale watching on that boat in the background. I want to go now lol.

 

Update: The shifting issue from 2wd to 4H randomly started working after 2 days of inspection at the dealer. No codes given and nothing replaced. There's now an open ticket with Toyota but no parts are being replaced until we can duplicate the failure again. The suspicion is the there may have been a glitch in the ECU or communications with the 3 actuators. Either way the 4H works better than when I got the truck brand new. Meaning I can now shift into 4H in neutral just sitting there. This was not the case before. I'll keep an eye on it and we'll go from here. Wish me luck.

 

Maybe a loose connection that got better when they "wiggled the wires" while inspecting the actuators?

It's tough when the problem won't repeat. Good luck.

 

Is it possible your front diff fluid was overheated?
The 4wd ecu will lock out 4wd if it detects an overheat condition.

 

Halfwaythere...possibly, who knows for sure, right?

Splitbolt...I'm not sure how it would be over heated. I drove about 6 miles that day before I hit the sand and then only went about 15 yards out before I got stuck. :/ So not sure on that either. It's a great guess though. Hopefully it'll repeat itself. I really don't care for not feeling safe with driving it now. We'll see I guess. Thanks for the commments.

 

Yeah last thing you want is for it to quit on you when you're halfway out in the middle of somewhere that you need 4x4 to get through or back. Good news is, its a brand new, warrantied truck and I'm sure they'll be able to restore it to its reliable glory. Good luck.