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Broken shifter? Has this ever happened to anyone before

3K views 5 replies 4 participants last post by  jerry w-fl 
#1 ·
Of late, I noticed that shifting from p to d or r had grown increasingly difficult. I brought it in to a shop and they said it was broken. They tried to weld it back together, but it didn’t even last the second trip I took with it.

Does this happen on the regular?

2003 Sequoia 4x4 with just over 100k miles on the clock

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#2 ·
Like this?

 
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#4 ·
You can thank Jack Mccarthy, and guys like him that take the time to not only figure out how to fix the stuff thats broken, but also go to the trouble of posting on here so others can benefit from their work.
 
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#6 ·
I've actually had the one on my 04 Tundra SR5 Extended Cab replaced twice & both times it felt like the bottom of my stomach fell out when the gear shift just jiggled in my hand - WTF?!?
It's original to me as only owner, straight from the car & truck show floor that year & decked out with everything but beer on tap & beard trimmer.
Once in 2011 - they put it a used steering column vs just new part - cost $503 plus several days rental car expense. Second time was in 2019, this time just replacing the shifter itself - cost $892+out-the-wazoo finance charges thru a finance company.
First time, mechanic told me for that couple years, the part was made from cast aluminum vs steel or cast iron like usual - so, since they just replaced the whole steering column, i basically got the same kind of bum part installed. Not sure if second go round if the part replaced was OEM from same year or a current retrofit - hopefully made better.
Either way, now when i fire the ol boy up & get ready to shift gears, if it feels tight or resistant, i just let my foot set hard on the brake a good 20 or 30 seconds & try again & it glides right in to the the next position out of park.
So, it appears the OEM part is designed to last 8 or so years & Toyota figures nobody's gonna keep the same truck that long (either they dont have much confidence in their vehicles or they just want ya to trade it in when it gets a certain age).
I've filed written complaints with both Toyota & the NHSA about why this hasnt been recalled but never even received a "We got your complaint" reply.
It's the only issue i've ever had with it that left it unable to be driven & cost the most to repair considering the fault is one small part (connects gear shift lever/arm to steering column). I recently had major service done on both the engine & transmission as well as new front/rear brakes that was more, but the scope of the work involved a lot more parts & labor.
 
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