Oops, shifted into park while on the move

I have had my taco (with automatic transimission) for almost three years now. My previous truck was a manual.

For some reason a few weeks ago I was on my way home from work when I approached a turn, my left foot went for the non-existent clutch and I shift from drive into park. My truck ground to a halt.

I'm hoping one of you gear heads will tell me everything is going to be ok?

 

Ouch. I wish I could say I was as good as these guys, but I'm pretty new to all of this. How does it sound and shift? I would consider changing my transmission fluid to see if you have any bits of metal or anything in there - it might be a good start.

 

Wow.... I always thought that it would lock you out of park while at speed. I never wanted to try...

 

And those numb nuts said it was uncontrolled acceleration.

Bovine doodie I say!

 

Yeah...If this was weeks ago and the transmission hasn't fragged itself already- You'll be fine.

 

goodbye, park pin!

 

holy crap man.... so you went from drive to park??..... You had to of done it intentionally because you had to go past N and R..... which means you pushed it quite a bit.... but that is a big no on the auto's just don't do it again.... if it was slow speeds it's not to bad.... they are made to slip a little if you through it into park to early. You will hear some clicks and then it grabs.

 

My wife done something similar quite a few years back. Transmission went out about 2 months after that and had to be rebuilt. She fessed up a couple of years later what she had done. I hope you have better luck.

 

I haven't done that yet, but I find myself looking for the clutch that isn't there. I dove a manual for 12 years before we just got the automatic, so it is taking a little bit of getting used to.

Frank

 

My truck is manual and I catch myself going to push and imaginary clutch or go to grab for an imaginary shifter occasionally when I drive an automatic. I also sometimes forget to throw it in park when I shut off an automatic and wonder why the keys don't come out . I did something similar a couple years ago in my parent's 02 sequoia. I put it in drive while going maybe 5mph, why I did this I'm not really sure. Anyways the sequoia has no problems as a result of this.

 

I did that on my mom's chevy astro van when I was 16. Probably going 5 mph. It lived.

 

Thanks guys, sounds like I might be ok. It was a few weeks ago and I haven't noticed any ill-affects, so I tend to agree it should be ok...it sounds and shifts as before with no issue. I was probably only going 10-15 mph.

 

I thought that the trans wouldn't let you go into park at certain speeds? I know that my previous ford exploder would just click if I was going that fast and tried to put it in park.

 

Basically you slammed the parking pawl into moving gearworks. It probably chewed some metal, and the pawl may or may not be damaged and weaker.

Basically, at this point I would get the tranny flushed and filled to get any metal debris this may have created out of there and then just drive it like normal and hope that anything that may have been weakened doesn't shit the bed early.

 

Ive secretly always wanted to get a junker and throw it in park while driving just to see if the tranny drops out of the bottom

 

I'd love to get a junker going 30+mph and then throw it in reverse and see if the tranny explodes. I just hope it wouldn't cause shrapnel in the cab!

 

Before the nitrous and heater hose, I think taking a baseball, sledge, etc to the car first would add to the fun

 

you should smack your right hand for that.

 

I know a guy that did this and a few weeks later, his head fell off. Just sayin...