Did this happen to you? When I was shifting from Drive to Reverse, my hand accidentally hit a little metal tab under the handle, locking the gear box. I could not shift it to Reverse or Park.
I could not remove the Key from the ignition.
Am I doing something wrong? It should not be that easy to lock the gearbox.
The key can’t be removed from most automatics unless it’s in park…
However, I’m scratching my head as to what happened to you…So much so that I’m going over to my buddies house to check his auto Surf for the “mystery” metal tab.
Get back to you on this…
Ok…Just got back.
My neighbors 2002 2.4l all wheel drive has no metal tab of any sort under the handle…Sorry.
By ‘metal tab’, do you mean a lock, like a security device? Maybe he activated a shift lock by mistake… :s
In the handle on the gear box there is a lock. Just under the keyhole there is a little metal tab-like switch. When the tab is forward, the Gear Box is unlocked. When it is back (actually pointing downward) the gear box is lock.
I usually lock and unlock the gearbox with the key. But my hand accidentally hit the tab and I locked the box. I
I recently bought a new Toyota Surf and I had the same problem at first with this irritating design error.
It’s quite easy to inadvertently move the small metal notch, the lock for the gear stick, downwards when reversing or any time you have your hand on the gear stick. Once it’s locked in this way the only way is to use the key.
As you say, you can’t remove the key from the ignition when this happens which makes taking the key for the gear stick off the ring a very fiddly process. Therefore, don’t keep the key on the ring part of the keyring - keep it on the ‘lever release’ part of the keyring. This makes it very easy to remove.
The way to avoid locking it accidentally is to make sure that the notch is in the upwards position whenever you’ve got your hand on the gear shift - you’ll be able to feel it with a fingertip. Make that a habit and you’ll be fine; you’ll do it without thinking about it.
I know the above sounds longwinded and complicated but it’s actually very simple. Apart from that small design glitch I absolutely love my Surf - how about you?
My battery was totally drained by leaving the lights on (stupid me) and I found I was unable to shift into Neutral to push the car out of the parking space to recieve a jump.
I held the brake down, turned the key but the gear box would not let me shift out of park. I hope there is a manual way to release the gearbox, as the jumper cables are just not long enough if you are parked “head in” and there are two cars on either side of you.
Help Please. :help:
You don’t need a jumper cable to provide the power to unlatch the relay. A length of bell cable will be enough to let you switch on the ignition and unlatch the shift lever. Just don’t try cranking the engine unless you want to see copper vaporized 
First let me start out by asking which model of surf do you guys have that is having this problem? I have the 2.4 4X4 and I have no such problem. Do you also have an extra gear shift lock on there? I can only think that you have the 1.8 in the 2X model. My 4X4 is awesome and can do a lot of off roading. I have had it out on some pretty scary outings. It is great so I am very interested to find out more about your problem.
Thanks for the replies. I have the 2x model (two wheel drive).
I’m pretty ignorant about cars and really wish I could read the manual.
The man from the Toyota Road SIde assistance came with a little device that looked like a small tool box. It charged up my battery in a few minutes.
I wanted to push the car out of the parking space in order to recieve a jump. But as hard as I tried. I could not get the gear shift out of Park.
I 1. pushed the break down 2. Turned the key 3. Tried the gearshift.
As soon as the batter had some juice in it, it was able to switch with ease.
I’m not sure what you meant by the Bell Cable. Should I disconnect the battery to replicate the problem?
BTW. I’m suffering from a know problem. A defective automatic lock. They said there is something wrong with the circutry, they did a partial replacement and asked me to come back the end of next month because they are too busy give it a thurough job.
Despite the problems I still like my surf.
Yes I like my surf too. It’s a lot of fun. The 2X is not so much fun but is nice. They are roomy too. Sorry that ours are soo different in that I do not have a problem as you point out but I am glad that I do not or I would have been down there a long time ago complaining. They would have fixed mine that day while I waited, them busy or not. I know a fair bit about cars and I just tell them “Do this or that” and they do it. They know me now though and take very good care of me. I always have a good chat with the mechanics and the service staff. We discuss modifications and which are good or bad. Sorry that I cannot be of more help but will help anytime I can. Hope you get it fixed and then let us know how it went.
Next time get the 4X and you can come out with us. I’ll show you some of what it can do. You can buy the battery chargers in many places now. They are a compact unit that is for emergencies or just as a mini generator. You can get them at B&Q, GEANT, RTMart, TESCO and COSTCO. Maybe others but not sure. They start from around $1500 NT.
It just might come in handy for you until you get the problem fixed though.
Good luck with your vehicle.
Hi. Here’s a completely idiotic questions. There is an OD switch on my Surf. Normally I use the thing for picking up students or running to the Costco.
Anyway, I went on the Highway for the first time and it did not seem to get up to speed smoothly. Should that OD switch be set to on or off. Is that OD switch called “Overdrive”?
When and when not should I use this OD thing.
Can I get a bloody English Instructtion Manual for my car? Surf 2005.
-I haven’t driven in almost eight years and my former car was a Hyndai Excel- Car Idiot.
Yes, OD means OverDrive. It should be kept on unless you are hualing a heavy load or need faster acceleration at/in any one particular time/situation. I know GM recommends that the car be left in OD mode at all times except during such times as stated above(I sold GM’s and their extra warranties). The other companies generally follow the same rules. The cares today are set up to be driven basically without thinking and set to their best performance settings for the average driver. That is why the OD. It provides the best for all driving conditions, generally. Towing etc. are not the normal use so then you have to use a little more thinking.
On the highway the overdrive provides an extra gear and thus higher speeds at lower rpm’s. That is why you had the problem on the highway. For highway use Always use the OD(except towing, which I assume you are not doing). Basically think of the OD as a 5th gear on a manual transmission. That way it will make things easier. Difference here is that you do not have to shift and you have the 5th gear available for the car to use when needed. Just leave it in OD and drive normally. Let the car do the rest, what it is supposed to do.
Some out there may say different but that was only for the very old cars that were the first to have OD put in them. All new ones are engineered to be driven continually in OD mode. It is only used when needed so do not worry. It will also improve your gas mileage if left in OD because it will shift better and at the proper shift times.
Here’s a test for you to try: Turn OD off and drive for one tank of gas. Fill er up and then try it in OD. There should be a noticable amount of difference. Also you will notice the rpm level that the engine is running at drop. The shifts will be smoother and at speeds the rpm’s will be lower.
Basically the only time I do not use OD is when I am out 4 wheeling. Then I need the higher rpm’s and sharper shifts. Other than that I leave it in OD. I’m not sure which surf you have but they all work the same. So, unless climbing steep hills, 4 wheeling, hauling a trailer, pulling another car or have one heck of a load in the vehicle just leave it in OD. It will save fuel, run better, survive longer and cost less in repairs later on.