Bucking/banging when shifting the transmission into reverse or drive?

TONYSTARK701

MEMBER
2002 TOYOTA MATRIX
1.8L
4 CYL
2WD
AUTOMATIC
150,000 MILES

My vehicle listed above bucks/bangs/jerks violently when I shift from Park to Reverse or Drive. And when I drive, it wouldn't go past 2,000 RPMs and then it appears to jump gears from 1 to 3 when I try to accelerate. I suspect the transmission range sensor (Neutral Safety Switch) is faulty, but I don't know for sure. Please, I'd really appreciate the help. I'm available to answer any questions that'd help you understand the condition of my vehicle. Thank you in advance!

5 Replies

KEN L

MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
43,446 POSTS

Sure, we can help you; it is difficult to tell if the engine or transmission is having an issue, can you tell me if the check engine light is on? If so, we should run the codes to see which ones are stored so we can head in the right direction.

This guide can help:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/checking-a-service-engine-soon-or-check-engine-light-on-or-flashing

Can you please shoot a quick video with your phone? That way I can tell for sure what's going on. You can upload it here with your response. We need to hear the noise, so we know which direction to go to help you fix the car. It takes time to upload so please be patient.

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Tuesday, May 14th, 2024 AT 11:36 AM

TONYSTARK701

MEMBER
3 POSTS

Hello Ken, thank you for your response. Yes, the check engine light is on, but I'm not sure what's throwing the check engine light. I scanned it with an OBD scanner and it had codes for throttle position sensor, and two speed sensors. It's not necessarily making any unusual sounds, it just bangs into gear (shakes the entire vehicle) whenever it is moved from park to drive or reverse.

I'll try to take a video and upload here. Let me know if the info above is of any use in your diagnosis. Thank you, Ken!

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Wednesday, May 15th, 2024 AT 1:04 AM

KEN L

MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
43,446 POSTS

Both the throttle position sensor, and the output shaft speed sensor can cause this problem, Please give me the codes so I can go from there. Also, does it feel like the engine or transaxle is moving around when this happens, can you lift the hood and have a helper put the car in drive so you can see if there is excessive movement?

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Wednesday, May 15th, 2024 AT 10:08 AM

TONYSTARK701

MEMBER
3 POSTS

Hey, please pardon my tardy response. I couldn't take photos still as I've been busy. But I've had it fixed to a manageable extent. Turns out it was an electrical problem that caused the transmission to start banging into gear whenever it was put into reverse or drive. The previous owner didn't (or couldn't) get it fixed and it caused irreparable damage to the transmission in the long run. My auto electrician was able to make some adjustments and disconnected the 4th gear, so I can only drive on the first 3 gears. This causes terrible gas mileage and a lot of rumbling and vibrations, but I'll have to drive it this way till I can replace the transmission.

Hope this helps. Thank you for your responses, Ken. I'm most grateful.

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Tuesday, May 28th, 2024 AT 4:48 AM

KEN L