Stiff, tight Automatic shifter

Hey,

First post here.

Stats: 2009 Tacoma Access cab SR5. 4WD. 105,000 miles. Vermont. Salty. Pretty good rust on the frame. Had some recent rust / wear related replacements - broken coil springs, catastrophic (well, kinda) front brake caliper failure. Only owned her for about 16 months. Bought it at 94K miles.

The truck is VERY tough to shift. Been getting progressively worse over the last 3 months or so. Gets worse if the truck sits for a while, but not too much better when its warmed up. It gets progressively more difficult to engage the shifter the farther down you go. Can't physically get it in to second of first. If I don't pay attention it will actually drive without being all the way in D and then will slip out of gear altogether. Have to strongly pull it down into like 3rd or 4th and then back in to D to get it to stay there.

My local guy has tried first just lubing the whole mechanism. Didn't work. Recently he tried replacing the entire cable. Didn't work.

It doesn't feel like a transmission issue to me, but maybe that's just wishful thinking.

So I'm stuck. I can't bring myself to go to the local Toyota dealer, and I've got to imagine I'm not the only one with this problem.

Thanks in advance for any help or ideas.
JB

 

Tried disconnecting cable at trans ? If shift fine then its trans I would think

 

The neural safety switch on the transmission is binding

 

So you have a stiff knob and your local guy tried lubing it?

 

Yea if its trans side would be next thing to check.

 

Thanks all,

The neutral safety switch - or something associated with it, was one of my guesses. Any ideas on how to "unbind" it?

and @KenLyns - I knew someone would go there...

 

Tale it off and try to turn . Shouldnt be hard to turn. If hard to turn buy new switch
Cant un bind

 

2016 Tacoma 4x4. My wife and I travel to SC (grandkids) from OH often. My Tacoma stays in OH parked for 2-4 weeks. Upon return, ALWAYS very stiff when moving shifter. This time it was stiff yet again AND threw a code P0705. TRAC indicated off, and D (drive) would not indicate/light on dash display or shifter. With engine off but key on, worked the shifter between P and D for easily 5 minutes to free up the shifter. FINALLY it loosened up but still no D indicator so I worked it some more. Bingo. D started to indicate. I cleared the P0705 and all now back to normal. I guess I'll have to find the TRS (also known as PNP) switch/sensor and lube it silly. My guess is weather has gotten into itcreating corrosion.

 

Dude, I hate to break it to you, but your going to have to replace the switch assembly.

I don't know what a TRS or PNP means the way you are using them.

This is similar:

https://www.toyotanation.com/threads/removing-and-cleaning-the-neutral-start-switch.245436/

The Tacoma switch looks like the image below and seeing as how you live in one of "Those States" it is going to be a rusty mess and a pain in the @ss to get off. The two sides of the switch are riveted together. Good Luck!