MPG Mystery SOLVED!

[gid]

it's easy to knock the shifting lever from OVERDRIVE to 3rd gear . If you look at the picture you'll see a oval shaped indicator . The lever can be pushed from right ( O.D. ) to left ( DRIVE , 3rd ) with litte force . This is an electric contact to the computer telling it which gear you've selected . If you have kids , pets , or are fiddling around it's not that difficult for it to be bumped into 3rd gear . This could be dangerous if pet(s) , kids , or other are not paying attention or goofing around .

[MadMax]

Originally Posted by gid

it's easy to knock the shifting lever from OVERDRIVE to 3rd gear . If you look at the picture you'll see a oval shaped indicator . The lever can be pushed from right ( O.D. ) to left ( DRIVE , 3rd ) with litte force . This is an electric contact to the computer telling it which gear you've selected . If you have kids , pets , or are fiddling around it's not that difficult for it to be bumped into 3rd gear . This could be dangerous if pet(s) , kids , or other are not paying attention or goofing around .

If you have that many distractions going on then you shouldn't be piloting a vehicle down public roads in the first place!

Even without a tach, anyone with half a brain can tell when the engine is revving much higher in third gear than in drive.

Quit making excuses, the Yaris automatic transmission shifter is not a faulty design; the fault lies in people who can't be bothered to 1) read the owners manual or 2) pay even the simplest attention when driving. Turn down the radio, put the cell phone away, tell the kids to shut up and leave the dog at home. And eat the fast food at the fast food joint, not while you are hurdling down the road in a several thousand pound vehicle.

And I love how people who drive automatics think they only have to get in and smash down one pedal or the other! Automatics only mean the transmission shifts by itself, they don't mean you can put your brain in autopilot and mentally wander off to la-la land. Or in other words, they are not idiot-proof! You still have to drive the car and one of those responsibilities includes paying attention to what is going on with your vehicle, to include knowing what friggin' gear it is in; even with an automatic!!