2000 LX470 stuck in park (1 Viewer)

[redbirdfan]

Hey guys, could use ideas about how to solve my issue. 2000 LX470 w/ 187k miles stuck in park. Everything works fine except it suddenly getting stuck in park last night.

Shift lock release override button doesn’t let me shift out of park either. No blown fuses. All exterior brake and turn signal lights work and brake lights illuminate when pedal is pressed. So I assume the brake pedal position switch under the dash is functional, but should I just try replacing it?

I can hear a slight click somewhere near the ignition when I push the normal shift lever button to move the selector from park. So it seems to be receiving a signal that I am trying to shift it from park.

I’m not parked on a hill but have also tried rocking it back and forth with no luck.

Haven’t started pulling the center console apart yet, so thought I’d ask for any other advice here before going down deep rabbit holes. I’d appreciate any guidance on what else to try. Thanks!

 

[redbirdfan]

Hey guys, could use ideas about how to solve my issue. 2000 LX470 w/ 187k miles stuck in park. Everything works fine except it suddenly getting stuck in park last night.

Shift lock release override button doesn’t let me shift out of park either. No blown fuses. All exterior brake and turn signal lights work and brake lights illuminate when pedal is pressed. So I assume the brake pedal position switch under the dash is functional, but should I just try replacing it?

I can hear a slight click somewhere near the ignition when I push the normal shift lever button to move the selector from park. So it seems to be receiving a signal that I am trying to shift it from park.

I’m not parked on a hill but have also tried rocking it back and forth with no luck.

Haven’t started pulling the center console apart yet, so thought I’d ask for any other advice here before going down deep rabbit holes. I’d appreciate any guidance on what else to try. Thanks!

I also disconnected the battery and left it sitting overnight to see if any solenoid or capacitor just needed a reset. No luck.

 

[KliersLC]

That is weird. The shift lock release button "always" lets you shift. So barring a mechanical issue in the linkage or the trans itself, I think the only other way it shouldn't shift is if the regular release button is broken somewhere. I'll go check mine real quick to see how far the button needs to go down.

In the mean time, maybe try shifting the transfer case to N in order to free up the entire system, and then try to shift the transmission.

 

[redbirdfan]

That is weird. The shift lock release button "always" lets you shift. So barring a mechanical issue in the linkage or the trans itself, I think the only other way it shouldn't shift is if the regular release button is broken somewhere. I'll go check mine real quick to see how far the button needs to go down.

In the mean time, maybe try shifting the transfer case to N in order to free up the entire system, and then try to shift the transmission.

Thank you for the reply. And you were correct, the main shift lever button has something going on inside of it.

I removed the two screws on the back side of the shift lever and started to lift up the handle as far as it would go (before the wire on the O/D switch wire got too tight) and I heard a small piece of plastic fall inside the handle. So I slid the handle back down and everything works like normal again.

I haven’t had a chance yet to go back and pull the main shift lever button out and see what came apart (now that I’ve watched a video about how the button can be disassembled), but something must have broken off and jammed up the button mechanism preventing it from pushing far enough in to release the transmission from park. I imagine that some of the plastic is brittle after 22 years and just broke.

It may be just a matter of time until the whole button mechanism disintegrates and causes more issues, but at least everything works great again as of right now!

 

[LX470oldguy]

Thank you for the reply. And you were correct, the main shift lever button has something going on inside of it.

I removed the two screws on the back side of the shift lever and started to lift up the handle as far as it would go (before the wire on the O/D switch wire got too tight) and I heard a small piece of plastic fall inside the handle. So I slid the handle back down and everything works like normal again.

I haven’t had a chance yet to go back and pull the main shift lever button out and see what came apart (now that I’ve watched a video about how the button can be disassembled), but something must have broken off and jammed up the button mechanism preventing it from pushing far enough in to release the transmission from park. I imagine that some of the plastic is brittle after 22 years and just broke.

It may be just a matter of time until the whole button mechanism disintegrates and causes more issues, but at least everything works great again as of right now!

I own a 2004 model LX470 Lexus, twin to the Toyota LandCruiser. Earlier today I got in the car and inserted the key to do a start. Initially I got for a few seconds a normal looking instrument panel, all lights going on and showing all the symbols I’m accustomed to seeing. However after a few seconds they disappeared. When I turned the key to ”start” nothing happened. Then I discovered that my transmission shift was locked in its “Park” position. Nothing I tried to change its position worked, including depressping the brake pedal. I got no ‘clicking noise’ which is the classic indicator of a dead battery.
I checked the battery voltage with a multimeter. It read 12.8volts.
Then I read on “forum.ih8mud” the post by Stephen Lugo in August 2019 where he was having this same problem. He was receiving helpful diagnosis from “khymel5” who wisely said “check your battery as low voltage can cause all sorts of weird things to occur”.
Notwithstanding my 12.8v reading, I then connected a 12v power pack to my battery. “Shazam”, everything Immediately returned to normal. My high end battery is only 24 months old. But it has obviously failed prematurely and needs replacement. Mistakes occur in manufacturing.
The bottom line of my message to others is this - if you have a “systems” problem, FIRST before doing other tests, CHECK THOROUGHLY YOUR BATTERY. Mine read 12.8v at rest BUT WAS STILL THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM IVE DESCRIBED.