Starting a manual tranmission

So, I haven't driven a manual in about 15 years. I drove a manual RAV4 this weekend.

I was surprised to find out that the only way to get the engine to crank is if the clutch is in and the transmission is in 1st. It wouldn't crank in neutral or any other of the gears.

The last vehicle I had that was manual was a Ford, and it would crank as long as the clutch was in. Personally, I even thought that was too picky. Why can't I just be in neutral?

Are all Toyotas like this? What is the logic of the transmission having to be in 1st? Are all cars like this now, or is this a case of a foreign company trying to protect itself from "stupid Americans?"

 

Considering the RAV4 hasn't had a manual offering since 03 I think, that's odd. I've never had a vehicle that wouldn't start unless it was in first gear. That includes a FJ and a work Tacoma.

 

Mine starts with clutch in and neutral

 

Standard operating procedure. Manuals since the mid 90s have a safety feature that the clutch has to be depressed all the way to the floor before starting. There's a contact switch that closes the ignition circuit. I've never heard of needing to be in 1st gear though.

 

Hmm, what does the manual say? Does it have to be in first?

 

Never heard of this, clutch in start has been a tacoma thing for a long time, but no gear requirement.

 

Conundrum: I don't know what the manual says. I was helping a neighbor move her car. She broke her ankle and couldn't drive the vehicle. So, I drove it maybe a total of 300 feet.

Takoffroad: Don't know what year it is, but it is not very new.

So, the deal was that when I got in the RAV4, it was in first with the parking brake on. To back it out of the parking spot, it was uphill and I forgot to release the parking brake. So, I underestimated the amount of gas to use and it stalled while in reverse. When I tried to restart it, it wouldn't crank with the transmission in reverse with the clutch down. I tried neutral, and that didn't work either. I put it back in first and it fired right up.