Hi Folks!

I wonder if any of you have encountered any transmission problems on your 4GS. Today when I got into the car like normal, put in D, the car didn't move at all. Then I tried to put a little bit gas, the engine revs to 2k~3k, the car start to move slowly. Probably the same speed as idle in D in the normal situation. I turned the car off and ignite it again. Wait for 30s and then put into D. The problem is gone, the car can ran normally.

Have you seen this in your own GS? What could be the problem?

It's a 2013 GS with 85k miles on

 

Are you sure the parking brake was not engaged, the time it struggled to move?

 

Did you accidentally push the snow button?

 

I don't think so, the parking brake is always in auto and I haven't touched it for years.

 

That's a good point. I can't recall now but I will try it tomorrow to see if the snow button can reproduce the problem

 

For what it's worth, my 2012 Camry has always done this if you start the car and put it into gear too quickly. I'd stop, put it in park, then back in drive and it was fine.

I asked one of the service writers at Toyota (not sure of how much truth there is), about this and he said to start the car and wait 30 seconds to engage into gear. It might be a safety mechanism to protect the transmission, but not too sure.

This typically happens to me more when it's cold. It's also happened to me with 2 other Toyota's, including an Avalon. 2010, 2012 Camry and a 2015 Avalon. All bought new.

 

Thanks for the input. It was snowing when the problem happened. It might be the temperature tho

 

Yes very cold temp of the Transmission fluid can do this.

 

Good luck. I believe in regular transmission services.

 

Same here. I did the transmission fluid in 60K.

 

So what is the purpose of the snow button?

 

Activating the Snow Mode retards the throttle response so wheel spin on slippery surfaces (snow/ice) is reduced and the vehicle starts in second gear instead of first gear from a start.

Information on Snow Mode should be in your Owners Manual.

 

Do you have snow?

Could be the brakes are stuck frozen.

 

The lag time you experienced to fully engage in your selected gear (Drive) was likely caused by a combination of immediately shifting into Drive after engine startup and the (supposed likely) cold temperature the transmission had been exposed to. Even in mild or moderate temperatures it can take a brief moment for the ATF to start circulating so the transmission's shift solenoids and bands/clutches can function properly. If the transmission has been exposed to cold or extreme cold temperature conditions, that can cause a noticeable delay or lag in its operation that would not be evident under normal or better conditions (e.g. ample time before engaging into gear and a moderate ambient temperature or the transmission fluid already near the typical operating temperature of 175°F).

I doubt you have anything to be concerned about, but I'd give it a bit more time instead of immediately shifting into gear after startup when it's cold weather or when the transmission is not already warmed up...

 

When I start my car, I give it a few seconds to at least turn off all the warning lights that it does for the bulb check. Then I turn on the heated seats, heated steering wheel and open the garage door. By then it has idled down slightly and goes in gear without issue.