Shifter Console Question

Does anyone happen to know what in theee h_ll this approx. 1/2” square hole is for in the shifter console on my 2022 T4R SR5 Premium 4WD? (Upper left of the pic, above and to the left of the “P”).

Yesterday, I was at the car wash and was using one of their vacuum hoses to tidy up the interior. I noticed that the vacuum hose sucked up the cover off this hole. Like W-T-F???

I showed this to one of the car wash attendants and told him what happened, asking him how hard would it be to retrieve the part. The kid laughed and said it would probably be very hard to locate it in their collection tank. (And I understand, but I just thought I’d ask).

So again, what is this stupid hole even for does any one even know? I guess it’s going to be a trip to the dealer parts counter Monday morning to get a new one.

I can just see it now- Part will be non-available, or they are going to tell me it’s not available separately and that you have to buy the entire console for $3,999.99 just to get that tiny part! F_ck me……

 

lol it’s the shift lock release cover… you press screw driver in there to allow you to shift out of park.

I am sure you can get replacement … eBay or Amazon

 

This is what the piece looks like.

 

“Shift lock release cover” ???? Ohhhh-kayyyy….??? I guess I don’t get it, why would you want to poke a screw driver in there to get out of park? …..sounds to me like a good way to make it all that easier for thieves to steal your vehicle if they don’t have your key FOB???? Sounds ridiculous to me.

But in any case, thank you for your reply. I’ll post back here with an update on my findings. I’ll start by checking with my local ToJo dealer Monday morning.

 

There is a solenoid (electric) that prevents the shifter from being moved out of PARK unless the brake pedal is pressed. This is a safety item that would prevent a child from moving the shifter out of park. In the event of failure of the solenoid (which would leave the vehicle immobile) the square cover can be removed and there is a manual override button that can be pressed to allow the shifter to be moved out of PARK.

 

Bruh it’s on every automatic vehicle over the past 30 years. What have you been driving v

 

I had to use the release once on an '86 Accord when the linkage had loosened and the lock and the neutral safety switch were giving me headaches. Are you the original owner? The cover normally wouldn't be loose unless

I was wondering the same thing. I had to use this feature once on an elderly '86 Accord that needed some linkage rehab.

 

I had to use it once on a car where the solenoid failed. A second time on a friend's Lexus. The solenoids do fail eventually.

 

Yeah, to be fair, it's not a feature that usually matters when it's still shiny and new.

 

I had to buy one on eBay.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1656521932...sf8aa0rsdo&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY