ASKED BY: Barbara 0 0 0 4 3 4 33 ASK DATE: Apr. 28, 2009 CATEGORY: Mechanical | Transmission Automatic Gear Shifting Share:       Vehicle: 2004 Toyota 4 Runner 2WD Engine: L6 1.0 L Transmission: Automatic Current Mileage: 60,000 Recent Repairs: none I have been writing in, in regard to my car shifting automatically shifting when I do up or down steep inclines. Yesterday, I found out and I really don't like it. I called my salesman and come to find out he knows nothing about this car ! My question is, is there a way to avoid the shifting ? I tapped my brakes to slow down,but it took a minute to slow the speed from 70 to 60. Should I brake a little harder and should the trac be on or off.? Mine was off. I plan to call the service dept. today, but thought I would try this first. I am driving to the mountains on May 7th and would like to know before I leave. I love my car but do not like this feature. Thank you COMMENT BY: way2old 0 4 0 0 3 9 80 COMMENT DATE: Apr. 28, 6:52 PM QUALIFICATIONS: ASE Certified Site Rank: 2 The up and down shifting is normal for your vehicle. It calculates the load of the engine, speed of the vehicle and a few thousand other things to determine when to shift. If you are going down steep hills, it can take a long time for the vehicle to slow down due to the weight of the vehicle rolling down hill. You could move the shift lever to the next lower gear to help with engine braking and slowing the vehicle, but it is not a normal practice. The traction control should be in the off position on dry roads. Go on your trip and either shift to the next lower gear going down hill, or use a little more brake or a mixture of both. Enjoy the trip and you will be fine with your ride. COMMENT BY: Barbara 0 0 0 4 3 4 33 COMMENT DATE: Apr. 29, 7:30 AM QUALIFICATIONS: Site Rank: 24 do you mean I shift or let the gear shift into low on its own ? Why can't I just apply the brakes.to slow down ? ACCEPTED ANSWER COMMENT BY: way2old 0 4 0 0 3 9 80 COMMENT DATE: Apr. 29, 9:29 AM QUALIFICATIONS: ASE Certified Site Rank: 2 You can apply the brakes to slow down. From your pervious statements, I thought you did not want it to shift up and down a lot going up hills. There is nothing wrong with using the brakes to slow down, just remember on extremely long hills, the brakes will get really hot. So you need to take your foot off the pedal once in a while to allow the brakes to cool. Sorry if I confused you or misunderstood your concern. Username: Password: Remember Me  Sign Up  Forgot Login? Year of 2009 way2old 5 Posts. 0 Answers. Mech Rep: 80 Mileage: 40039 About Us | Contact Us | FAQ | Privacy Policy | Site Map Vehicle Aid © 2005-2008. All Rights Reserved.