Toyota Tacoma Shifter Stuck? Here's a quick and easy fix for your sticky shifter. MCG #10 

People complain about how "dark" the internet can be, but equally there are folks like you who post videos and provide so much help to strangers. You solved my problem, in minutes, free of charge. Thank you for taking the time to be kind and share your knowledge!

You saved me from a massive panic attack about an hour before I was supposed to be on a job site. I can't thank you enough for this video!

The shifter in my 2015 Taco was also getting stiff. I found your video, paused half way through to go out and WD40 followed by white lithium grease the linkage on mine, and viola, it's fixed. Thanks! I appreciate you taking the time to film and post this! And by the way I made similar groaning noises while crawling under mine lol . Another tip is I've soaked in between the leaf springs with white lithium grease to stop squeaks in the back and it's great for that too.

From Northern Ontario, it worked and saved me changing the shift cable. More importantly it saved the embarrassment from chasing a runaway vehicle and more importantly hurting someone. Thank you so very much.

Thank you, thank you. I followed your video instruction, and now my shifter is working and smooth. The stiffness happened to my 2014 4Runner and didn't know what to do. I was just about take it to a dealer but after I saw your video, I did just like you showed, and my shifter is working like a new, no more problem. Thank you for your help.

Thank you sir. I fixed my shifter just like you showed me. Amazing. You saved me 800$ parts n labour. You are a saviour. 🤩👍

My 2018 Tacoma was doing the same stuff. This video is gold! Thanks for making it. I used a little penetrating oil and then slathered on some Red n Tacky. I thought I'd have to get a new transmission!

Thanks for the vid. Worked great! Fixed my sticky shifter. '08 taco with 180K miles and still going strong. I love these simple fixes.

I had the same problem with my 5th gen 4Runner. This video was a great guide. Thank you!

Thought I was running into a much bigger issue... then I saw this video... shifts perfect now. Thank you.

I have done this very thing a number of times but it kept returning no matter what stuff I used. About 6 months ago I decided to try something a little more permanent and it seems to be working so well I decided to add a comment here. The spray lube fix works good and fast but trying my modification could be more permanent. It took me about 20 minutes to complete the fix. I removed the nut hold the shifter cable to the lever underneath the truck...it takes a 13mm wrench. Once removed, use a wire brush to remove the rust and corrosion buildup on both sides of the lever, from the nit, and from the shifter level connector. Then put a good coating of lithium grease on both sides of the connector, the steel lever, and the nut. Then reassemble (making sure the connector screw fits all the way through the square hole on the lever) and tighten. It's been 6 months so far without any sticking.

Thank you 2k to 7k much. Called the mechanic,&that was the answer, considering code p0705 showed up,& trac on,& check engine light was on as well .Watched your video,& now works as good as new. I used Seafoam, cause that’s what I had. Thanks again .

Thanks a million. My 2006 Tacoma had the same issue. After watching your video, CONDITION CORRECTED!!!!! Thank you, God Bless and stay safe!!

You saved me an expensive trip to the dealer. My 4Runner was having issues and wouldn’t display the drive mode on the dash. When I’d shift, It felt very loose. Spraying this mechanical piece with WD and white lithium spray worked like a charm!

My check engine light came on, error code said replace park neutral safety sensor, found your video and did what you did and whaaaaa llaaaa!!! Fixed! Big thank you for sharing this video 👍

Great fix!! Grabbed a can of Rust Check and sprayed the linkage underneath while the wife shifted in and out of gear, works perfectly!

My 2016 4runner was doing this. I am going to have to give it a try before take it to a mechanic. Thanks for the video.

You just saved me a whole headache, you are a life saver!!! Thanks so much!

Great tip! My dad used to spray a little Water Displacement #40 on his knees to loosen them up from time to time! Said it worked wonders...I love your little jabs of humor ! "Work with what you have" is good advice! :))

Mine was so bad it was setting a PO705 trouble code. Oiling the cable connector only helped for a while. I decided to disconnect the cable from the shifter arm on the transmission. The threaded connector on the end of the shifter cable that you were oiling wasn't able to spin freely on mine. I worked it loose and forced some grease into it and it's all better. 2017 Tacoma.

If the problem gets seriously sticky, the car may not start at all if the system doesn't recognize it being in park. The light for P should show on the dashboard when it is in Park. Mine suddenly didn't and I couldn't start my 2013 Tacoma. My truck threw the error code P0705 "Transmission Range Sensor A.Circuit (PRNDL Input)". Dousing it with WD-40 after watching your video solved the problem completely! Probably saved me hundreds of dollars and a tow to the shop. (I understand that for this application, silicone lubricant is best because it is safe for plastic and rubber).

Excellent, My 05 did the same.The rod you are lubricating goes thru the transmission to neutral/park safety switch. Lube this end too. Spray behind plastic switch housing and trans case. 250000 miles still butter smooth shifting. Just traded fo 2020 4 Runner. Love It

Seriously, thank you! Had the engine light come in and got a code from auto store about replacing transmission switch…. 5 mins and WD40 it works great! Thank you!!!

A quick and easy fix that worked instantly. Thanks a ton for the video!

Huge thanks! This has been plaguing me for months on my 06 4Runner. It was so bad I was getting CELs for the gear sensor. Kept trying to lube the linkage under the shifter. Tried this and it fixed it!

Saved me some money and wasted time bringing it somewhere to fix Thank You worked well Thanks for your time in making the video I have a 2009 Toyota tacoma

I guess I should be happy that it took so long for this issue to hit my 2005 Tacoma. But hopping into my truck to make a run to pick up a 25 yr. old "squatter" at the airport I could just barely manipulate the shift level. Drove for the next 1 hour too nervous to take my truck out of drive. After watching to the 2-minute mark I ran out, grabbed a can of WD40, and slithered under my truck. I easily found the linkage (identical to the one in the video), sprayed it and my issue was solved. (It's never this easy), Thanks!

1:35 Wise words! My dad told me this when I was around 9 or 10 while working on my bike.

THANK YOU COULD NOT SHIFT AND ENGINE WOULDN'T TURN OVER FOLLOWED YOUR INSTRUCTIONS TRUCK ALL FIXED THANK YOU SO MUCH ❤️

Man my 2005 Taco with 250k has a shifter problem. Ive had the shifter cable replaced twice. No one can seem to fix it. (About 5 shops so far) If this solves my problem of the truck not knowing when its in any gear, or even park, I'll be blown away by the simplicity of the solution.

My 2018 Tacoma developed this same issue 2 months ago. You helped me solve the problem! Thumb up to you and subbed too!

Good evening Sir, Yes a mixe of oil and grease is keeping thing lubricated for sure !!! Great camera set up !!! You can also lubricate the rubber with silicone that will help too in winter for the rubber will not so hard !!! Keep up the good spirits and good works Cheers !!!

Same with my Land Cruiser 4.0 V6 Prado exactly the same problem. Thanks for the video👌

Hey ! thanks man I have a 2017 but it'd basically the same set up, going to give it a try tomorrow. Cheers from New Brunswick, Canada !

Hey, thanks for posting this, it was very helpful. My 2013 4Runner has had a sticky shifter the last few times. I drove it, to the point that it wasn't registering on the dash that it was in drive, I had to put it over into manual mode to get it to register. This seems to have done the trick.

Oh this is going to help me on my Tacoma and now the wife’s 2011 4Runner. Thanks

Seems we have a lot in common. Rural living, Kubota tractors, chippers, tillers, and now Tacomas. Mine is a 2004, and just keeps going. No shifter issues though. What you did should keep it “like butter” for a long time! Cheers!

Appreciate the info. Just did this to my 4Runner

nice video I'm going to give it a try, I have a 2015 4 runner will not go into gear

What Patrick Marcotte said! And thanks!

Love the way you captured the fix

Mine just stiffend up yesterday thank u for this

Thank you! Works great! Have had to do this a couple times now with WD and will try some of the other lubricants mentioned in comments for a longer lasting period. In NW Washington State. Wet and wild here. :) 💕

Awesome ! thanks my 2009 tacoma got stuck a few times

👍🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🗽🙏🏻 Enjoyed! The answer is move to East Texas, no cold weather and NO salt. Grew up in Iowa on a farm, got transferred to Texas in mid-seventies... in East Texas we have 4 months of summer (July & August can be a little warm), 4 months of fall followed by 4 months of spring! Don't miss the cold weather.

Worked for me. Thanks

Thank You saved me a few hundred!

Thanks so much for the video. Exact fix for my 2012 Tacoma. Thank you, Thank you.

10/10 on my 4runner 5 gen !!

Great Video!

I have the same problem. Mine was a bit extra sticky and I ended up snapping something. Gonna be fun.

Thanks i will fix mine tomorrow Nice filming !!!!

Thank you very much. You save me . The embarrassment 😳 and the $1000 dollars they will charge me..

Thought I was going to break the shifter on my 2017 Taco. This worked perfectly! However, is replacing that part the only permanent solution? I'm almost 70, so getting down and up from the ground is not so easy anymore.

Thanks so much brother God🙌🏼

Excellent! So far so good. Thanks!

I appreciate the video, this did the trick for the same issue I was experiencing on my 06. I used some Sea Foam Deep Creep penetrant which I highly recommend. Thanks!

Exactly my problem….fixed! Thanks

Excellent. This just started happening to my 2015 Tacoma. Spongey stick shift but also found a few times, it wouldn't go into D at all but would stay in neutral. Had to back it up and try a few times before it sponged into D finally. Scared me there for a bit. Will try this! I also might need some WD40 for my knees.

Thanks for making videos like this 👍

I have a Toyota Tacoma with that problem thanks hopefully that’s an easy fix for me

Thanks for video , worked perfectly . What kind of race car is in garage at 1:55 ?

This is an excellent video; but I think I broke something inside the shifter box inside the cab. Can you explain how to fix this? Now the shifter handle moves freely without doing anything. Thanks for any help.

well guess what brought me here....lol thanks

Yeah buddy! That did the trick! Thank you!

Just fixed mine thanks a bunch

Thank you so much!

Thank you!!!!

Thanks!

⚠️ does this apply to 2016 4Runner also? I’m also getting a P0705 code and my shifter is very stiff. It started intermittently last winter and then went away all summer but now it’s back and won’t go back to normal. When I shift it in to Drive it’s stiff and doesn’t register the “D” on the dash. It registers park, Reverse and Neutral but not Drive and it also no longer registers tiptronic sports mode. Because it’s stiff do you think it’s the actual shifter and probably not the PRNDL sensor?

Been noticing sticky shifter on my 13 taco. It threw P0705 code (Transmission Range Sensor failure) yesterday. Hopefully this is the fix….

Great video!!! Really helpful. Thanks

How long for the dash lights to reset after spraying or does the battery terminal have to be removed?

I had my check engine light come on and it say something about transmission selector switch. Would that cause my shifter to stick?

It worked!!! Thank you!!!!

Thanks for a great vid.

Hey I have a accident 2 years a go I drive a 2015 toyota tacoma and I notice the shifter some times stuck in reverse and I put the truck in parking but the shifter never go to parking and I get out of the truck and the truck star rolling back and throw me to that ground and rough me for 15 feet’s my foot stuck in the door panel be careful

Awesome video thanks

Your video is great. Thanks so much for putting it out there. Question: Do you have any videos or pics of the shifter cable as it is connected on the shifter? I was adjusting my e-brake and noticed that the cable is loose as it attaches to the shifter itself. Not sure if it needs a special retainer or just a simple nut. Please help.

use synthetic waterproof spray then same in grease! none of that other weak material - amsoil is very good for my 2001 4wd Yota TRD Pro!!

Thanks for sharing

Awesome

great video thanks

Nice video. Where did you get the camera arm that you used under the truck?

You are the man

My Toyota dealer told me it was the Pringle switch. 270.00 parts and labor

Does your tacoma have over drive?

I have to climb under and mess with this connection every 2 months or so. I have been stuck struggling to get into Drive multiple times. Mine is a 2019 with only 20,000 miles. So frustrating. I have never had a vehicle start giving me problems at only 14,000 miles before. My Mitsubishi has been way more reliable at 130,000 miles.

Man I really hope that’s what’s happening to my tundra the shifter is sticking like crazy and won’t register it’s in drive even tho it is.

Wats a perm fix seem like u have to do thus every month or so if I let the truck sit for days

Is it possible to rebuild the shifter?

Can you use marine grease?

Is the link for 2016 at the same place?

Is this a permanent fix though?

My truck though I have to punch my shifter out of park to get it out