I have a problem with my 2011 Toyota Yaris manual transmission car where the first gear occasionally doesn't engage when at standstill. This happens rarely, probably once per month.
What I do to get the first gear to engage:
- I first try moving the selector back to neutral and to first gear again without releasing the clutch. Sometimes this helps.
- I try moving the selector to another gear (usually the second gear) and to first gear again. This helps often but not always.
- If both previous steps have failed, I move the selector to neutral, release the clutch, press the clutch again and engage the first gear. This has never failed to work, although it is possible (but extremely rare) that I have to do this twice.
This problem happens with the reverse too, probably more often than with the first gear.
This is somewhat annoying because it may mean extra few seconds before managing to drive from a stoplight. I have read from online forums that other Yaris owners have had this problem, too, so I assume it is a feature of the transmission rather than a genuine problem.
How common is this phenomenon on other types of cars?