I had stopped my GX on a inclined driveway, then when I went to pull up it wouldn't move!

I was in Drive, when I tried to go forward all I got was a nasty grinding sound and the GX started to roll backwards. I tried regular top gear and even a lower gear (all standard HI), but the same thing. As I had to drive home about 1000 miles with a full vehicle, I decided not to play and backed down into the street and drove up to the spot from there.

This was no huge hill- just somebody's house driveway that happened to be at an angle. The GX contained my daughter, me, and maybe 500 pounds of stuff in the back (rear seats removed).

The home owner was in an old full size van with 3 people and about 800 pounds of stuff - he had no problem (nor does he have with his other cars).

What is going on here?

 

Perplexing... Prior to attempting your hill ascent, did you put your GX in park on the incline before putting it in gear? It seems like we are missing a couple of pieces of the puzzle.

 

The grinding sound you are talking about, is it like gears grinding or the abs sound? The only time the gears will grind is through the hi/lo transfer case.
When you pressed the accelerator did the rpms go up? If so, it sounds like you popped out of (HI) on the transfer case, and it might have been in between HI and neutral.

 

I don't think I put it in park - I was just driving up the driveway, and stopped to see where the parked jeep in front of me was - then just tried to move up a little closer. I was shocked when the GX wouldn't cooperate.

Definitely not an ABS sound or feel - just a grinding type noise and no forward movement. I had to put my foot on the break to avoid slipping back.

It didn't seem to act any different on a level surface. I wound up parking on the street.

All these super duper hill climbing and descending gizmos to get me through the outback and it couldn't make a slight incline with no trailer! Definitely not that Toyota truck in that ad.

 

Whatever is the cause I can assure you in no way is it a reflection of the quality or the capability of your vehicle. I have owned a GX for 3 yrs now and I have yet to have any transmission related problems that were not self-inflicted. This of course is not to suggest what you are saying is not true or there is not a more serious problem at the root of this, but I suspect there is a more simple reason behind it.

The only time I experienced anything like what you describe is when I attempted to put my truck in drive on my incline driveway to pull it into the garage and I heard the clicking/griding that you speak of. I was able to determine this happened only because I failed to put my truck totally in gear when I put it in Drive and need I mention it too started rolling backwards. After applying the brake, placing it in neutral and firmly back in gear/Drive everything was fine. This is why I asked you if you put your truck in Park. My guess is your GX was not in gear.

Go back to the same spot and try it again or find another incline and stop at the bottom or half way up leaving your GX in gear, then try accelerating. I am willing to bet all is fine. If NOT, take it to the dealer right away and describe the problem to the service advisor. A slipping transmission is a symptom of a more serious problem.

 

I think purplehazek4 is right as always Sounds like the transfer case is poping out of hi on the hill. I would have the dealer check out the shifter.

 

I remember a couple of times when i was on a hill. First the gx will roll back and then slip control would come on and it does make a grinding noise but as i give it more gas it catches back up and moves forward. Maybe you need pop it back into neutral and not knowing it. Things do happen

 

I have a long and steep drive way. Sometimes, if I decelerate to a creep at the top of the slope, the truck can't make up it's mind whether to engage the (hill holder) mechanism which keeps the truck from rolling back, thus starts to make the noise Silver Lady mentions. I just take my foot off of the accelerator, then gently accelerate to finish my ascend.

~ Cap

 

So, let me get this straight, you were pressing on the GAS pedal to go forward, but your GX made grinding noises instead?? If this is true, then Hill Start would not apply here. purplehazek4 may be right....

 

Make sure the transfer case lever is fully in hi (put tranny in N, shift t-case to N, then back to H, put tranny back into D). IIRC, the hi position on the GX is to the rear while the Lo is forwards (opposite on the LX so if you accidentally bump it, it's already in the hi position). My neighbors' dog bumped their t-case lever, car stalled in the middle of a turn. I figured it out for them, put it in hi, all was well.

 

As others mentioned, I bet someone bumped the transfer case shifter and it's not fully in HI mode.

 

Bob.....

If you are talking to me, No Way.....

I stand by what I described.....

~ Cap

 

I took the GX in today for her maintenance and reported the problem.

The Service Manager did mention the possibility of the hi-lo gear being slightly out as something he had heard of.

The dealer attempted to duplicate the problem on an incline, but said they could not get it to happen. So at this point it remains a mystery, but if it happens again I will check the gears more thoroughly and try the slow acceleration. Unfortunately next time might be the middle of a hill with cars in front and behind...