[jack mccarthy]

Shifter assembly snapped and came loose when putting the vehicle into drive! Assembly itself seems to be fine, but whatever mounts it within the steering column broke and I can barely get it in gear! Nothing to hold it when trying to shift.

Is this repairable myself? Is it just a broken screw? What's gotta be replaced to fix it?

I checked how to pull the cover off the steering column to look at it, but it seems I need a steering wheel puller to get at the screws behind the steering wheel. Do I need one and is it expensive?

I couldn't even get the torx screws off holding the airbag with a regular torx screwdriver after disconnecting the battery. Seems I need a torx socket for a wrench.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[jack mccarthy]

Looks like I'm f**ked!

Damn shifter broke away from the housing! Hope I get by with two screws instead of three for a new shifter mount, otherwise it's gonna cost me to get the steering column torn apart for a new bracket replacement to hold the third screw.

 

[soyavenger]

looks almost identical to mine. the good news is that its still basically driveable, i disconnected the o/d wires and the shifter lockout thing, and ive been shifting via the linkage for about 5k miles, as i havent had the money to get it fixed. it hasnt been too inconvenient, luckily i havent had to tow/haul anything heavy enough to turn off the o/d. on the bright side, its added theft protection! good luck and let us know if youre able to get it fixed and what you had to do.

 

[jack mccarthy]

looks almost identical to mine. the good news is that its still basically driveable, i disconnected the o/d wires and the shifter lockout thing, and ive been shifting via the linkage for about 5k miles, as i havent had the money to get it fixed. it hasnt been too inconvenient, luckily i havent had to tow/haul anything heavy enough to turn off the o/d. on the bright side, its added theft protection! good luck and let us know if youre able to get it fixed and what you had to do.

Disconnecting the cable from the shifter will keep it in the lockout position so I can turn the key to remove it in park? I wasn't sure, so I left it tucked up under the dash.

Right now the quote is at $800-$850 since they need to drill out the crimped bolts that hold the bracket to the support column without damaging the threads. 5-6 hours labor depending on dealership and $250-$300 in parts. That third screw on the support bracket from the steering column takes all the stress. I'm currrently checking junk yards for a decent steering column that isn't completely rusted out. Average price is $100-$250 for the used column.

 

[soyavenger]

disconnecting the cable should disable the lockout completely, the downside of course is that you can shift out of park without pressing the brake, but its pretty tough to accidentally shift without the lever.

yikes, $800+ is pretty steep! ive been putting off getting it looked at, i havent needed to turn the o/d off, so aside from lookin kinda ghetto, its still functional for me the way it is.

heres a pic of mine the way ive been driving it, it broke in all the same places as yours it looks like

 

[jack mccarthy]

disconnecting the cable should disable the lockout completely, the downside of course is that you can shift out of park without pressing the brake, but its pretty tough to accidentally shift without the lever.

yikes, $800+ is pretty steep! ive been putting off getting it looked at, i havent needed to turn the o/d off, so aside from lookin kinda ghetto, its still functional for me the way it is.

heres a pic of mine the way ive been driving it, it broke in all the same places as yours it looks like

View attachment 42060

I thought that by disabling the lockout, you couldn't turn the key to the off position to extract it from cylinder. I noticed when reading up on it that the lockout is engaged when the lever is in park and disengaged when in gear. I noticed that when I put the truck in gear via the disconnected shifter (not sure which gear with the shifter hanging) that when I used the pivot arm to put it actually into park, the key would not turn to the off position for me to extract it. Strange.

I was wondering if anyone complained to Toyota corporate about this issue as the shifter should not break from the housing under ordinary circumstances. I've never heard of this happening in any vehicle.

If you look to where the broken column bracket is screwed into the lower shaft, the screws are crimped from the inside. They have to be drilled out to be removed from what I'm told and you don't want to strip the threads on the lower shaft as you'll have to pay for a new ignition housing, bracket, shaft and screws which I priced brand new to run around $420 new unless you tap new holes and put it larger bolts.

A used steering column will run you 3 hours of labor, unless your willing to do it yourself as I do with the help of an expert. Here, it's just finding a decent column; I've check at least two junkyards the lower steel shaft rusts out quite a bit when exposed to the elements.

 

[soyavenger]

just an update, took mine to the dealership and they quoted me $500 for parts and labor, but the parts are backordered at the moment. we'll see if it stays $500 when the time comes to do the work...

 

[arseum]

Happened to me as well. What genius decided to make it cast iron? I had the stealership fix this immediately. I do not remember the total cost.

 

[jack mccarthy]

I plan to order the parts this week the dealership quoted me and return what I don't use/break since I've got 30 days. Total cost of parts is around $180 for the bracket, tube, shaft & screws. Should be less, if I don't need the tube. Screws supposedly have threadlock on them, so it should only take a propane torch to break them free without melting the aluminum. Luckily, my old man has done this before and has the tools. The connection of the bracket to the lower shaft assembly requires some type of torx socket, no sure what size since they go by E-ratings.

I'd take pictures, but my father doesn't like me bothering him when working. If it proves to be too difficult, I'll probably return the parts unused and buy a used steering column.

 

[m5238100]

Dear jack mccarthy!
Tell us what your repair completed.
If it is possible with photos.
Regards George.
Moscow, Russia
P.S. Looks like I'm f**ked!
TOYOTA Sequoia/Tundra Club (

 

[Highwaylizard]

Happened to me as well. What genius decided to make it cast iron? I had the stealership fix this immediately. I do not remember the total cost.

Looks like a lot of die cast aluminum to me. What a mess Jack.

 

[jack mccarthy]

Looks like a lot of die cast aluminum to me. What a mess Jack.

Yeah, it's a mess, but it's still drivable. Isn't it amazing how Toyota or any other manufacturer won't stand behind repairing a defect such as a stress fracture unless you get into an accident where they're liable.

Dear jack mccarthy!
Tell us what your repair completed.
If it is possible with photos.
Regards George.
Moscow, Russia
P.S. Looks like I'm f**ked!
TOYOTA Sequoia/Tundra Club (

I haven't fixed mine yet only because I've been going through personal problems with workman's compensation and employment issues at the moment, but it's still driveable.

You can remove the top and bottom covers of the steering column by first turning the steering wheel left to expose the hidden screw under the wheel on the right, then turning the wheel right to expose the hidden screw underneath on the left. The third screw is accessible and below the steering wheel.

Spray down the steering column arm with PAM and slide the top portion off consisting of the rubber boot and top plastic cover. The bottom cover should come off very easily.

Remove the broken shifter with a T-30 torx screwdriver or socket wrench that will hold the T-30 bit to expose the shifting mechanism underneath. Once that's accomplished, the vehicle is at least driveable.

The bracket and base of the shifter arm along with the screws can be purchased for $110-$150 in parts. Most of the screws have threadlock on them and require a propane torch that you need to apply for 8-10 seconds to get the torx screws off.

You need to be careful with the airbag and disconnect the battery and wait a couple minutes for any residual charge to dissipate. I'll probably take some close up pictures of the parts between the tube and bracket that hold the whole tilt mechanism together. Once it's unscrewed, it can potentially spring apart.

I'm not sure what E-rating torx socket size is needed for disconnecting the bracket from the lower steering column, but I believe my father has it since he's done quite a few GMs and Ford steering columns.

Getting it done by the dealer is expensive, but I feel confident I could do the work with my father helping. Unfortunately, I just haven't gotten to it yet. Cheapest price from the dealership I was quoted was $500, but many have been quoting in the ballpark of $650.

EDIT: I just looked at your link to the russian forum. Seems like you already got the covers off. It'll probably be safer to unscrew the shifter arm baseplate off and use the mechanism the shifter arm ball slides into to control the shifting.

 

[m5238100]

Thanks for the quick reply!
You good luck!

 

[marvbest]

Here's a YouTube video about repairing this problem
Toyota Tundra Gear/ Shift Lever Broke - YouTube

 

[Ccovell]

How do you switch into gears via the linkage? Pictures?

 

[125567]

I fixed mine a while ago for about 7.00. All I did was get the sifter assembly form a Sienna minivan at Pick -n-pull. I replaced the shifter and the first bracket, I did not replace the bracket that wraps around the steering shaft.

Basically I used the two bolts and said screw the third.. it has worked perfectly.

http://www.tundrasolutions.com/forums/transmission/172809-cheap-shifter-fix/

 

[UnSub]

One guy on You Tube had to replace his twice. He said the 2nd one had a better design

 

[jack mccarthy]

How do you switch into gears via the linkage? Pictures?

Look for the kidney shaped armature on the side of the steering column that pivots front/back. Use that to shift gears.

 

[Reb12]

Look for the kidney shaped armature on the side of the steering column that pivots front/back. Use that to shift gears.

Want to bump this for some potential help. Right now, my truck is stuck in reverse (that is where it broke when shifting) and my steering wheel is locked due to that. With that, it seems the only way to get in and possibly be able to shift by hand is removing the steering wheel to then be able to get to the two cover screws for access?

If I am able to get access, is there any issues with me being able to move the shifter out of reverse, and into park, when the vehicle off?

 

[jack mccarthy]

Want to bump this for some potential help. Right now, my truck is stuck in reverse (that is where it broke when shifting) and my steering wheel is locked due to that. With that, it seems the only way to get in and possibly be able to shift by hand is removing the steering wheel to then be able to get to the two cover screws for access?

If I am able to get access, is there any issues with me being able to move the shifter out of reverse, and into park, when the vehicle off?

You shouldn't have an issue once you get the column plastic pieces off. The two screws are between the steering wheel and the plastic pieces. Turn the steering wheel 90 degrees in each direction to expose the screws.