Gear Knob on Yaris Auto

[retjo]

Can anyone please tell me why there is no device on the gear knob of a 2014 Yaris Hybrid to prevent shifting into reverse gear accidently. Today as I was travelling at 30mph, I accidently knocked the gear shift into reverse. I was less than a mile from home, and drove there with no apparent difference to the way the car drives or feels (fingers crossed). Needless to say I shall be praying to the Great Mechanic in the sky for the best of luck, however i've since been wondering why there is nothing to prevent the shifting of of gear direction and would be grateful for any enlightenment. Also is it possible to have got away without any damage to the drive train?   I await your opinions with bated breath and fingers, legs and eyes crossed!  Thanks Gents/Ladies

[eyemdee]

Not 100% sure on this but the hybrid transmission is a brilliant system of sunwheel & planetary gears between the petrol and electric motors and is computer controlled. I would guess that if you didn't hear any nasty noises then the computer probably just refused the instruction and with any luck there should be no damage. If any Toyota techs are readng this then hopefully you may get confirmation...

[YarisHybrid2016]

I haven't dared to try this at any speed! My guess is the computer probably has a protection whereby if the vehicle is moving forward at any real speed it will just ignore the selector. Being electric, probably the worst that would happen is a very rapid deceleration as it tries to drive the car backwards from whatever speed you were doing.

I don't think it is actually possible to break anything in the drive train through selecting reverse as no gears are swapping ratios/direction unlike a conventional gearbox.

From your description, it sounds like nothing happened.

In a muddy field somewhere I once drove the Yaris backwards at 30 MPH - it was identical to driving forwards, though directionally unstable. I think they're bomb-proof.

[retjo]

Thanks for the benefit of your pearls of wisdom gents, it was a very rapid deceleration with tyre squeal, however I haven't dared try the car since getting home. After reading your replies you've given me the confidence to test the car with more optimism as it is always good to hear from someone with more knowledge/experience than yourself, once again thank you.

[humayun.chughtai.7]

If you heard any crushing noises from ur gearbox during the gear knob was at R position. Then it is a bad news. But I think the electronic mechanism had refused to shift the car in reverse while moving at 30 mph.

[YarisHybrid2016]

On 3/13/2017 at 2:53 PM, humayun.chughtai.7 said:

If you heard any crushing noises from ur gearbox during the gear knob was at R position. Then it is a bad news. But I think the electronic mechanism had refused to shift the car in reverse while moving at 30 mph.

This can't occur on a Hybrid, as nothing changes unlike in a conventional gearbox. If you did this on a normal car there is a high chance you'd break something.

For a Hybrid to go backwards, all it does is run the electric field in the opposite direction in the motor/generator (MG2), and from the test I did the engine is incapable of driving the car backwards as no mechanism exists to reverse the rotation of the drive from the engine, so the maximum speed in reverse would be limited by the maximum rotational speed of the MG2 side of the system (I would guess around 50 MPH, as this is also the speed limit for electric-only operation in Drive).

[Berisford]

I'm with the computer over-ride here, couldn't have done any harm else you'd have heard it.

Just as an aside, in the 70's I worked for a large printing company and our fork lift trucks were electric Lansing Bagnall units and whilst the brakes were OK in the factory they were useless outside. When loaded, the only way to stop when going downhill was to select 'reverse' and apply the power, lots of it sometimes, it never seemed to bother the trucks. Not quite the same as on the Hybrid I know,