Transmission worries

I do not think that you caused any harm to the transmission. @ChapmanF will be able to answer.

 

Can't drive and Park maybein zB mode . You've hurt nothing. It's all pretty stout in there.

 

Can you give details of what made you think it was in Park?

The car evidently didn't think it was in Park, because if it had, it wouldn't have gone anywhere.

So, something else is what was happening. But I can't really speculate on whether the something else did or didn't do any damage, without a better idea what the something else was.

 

I press the Park button to convince the transmission system to go into N when I'm bored of using R to do so at speed.

Unless you heard sounds: your transmission was not in Park. The pawl is engaged by a BLDC motor atop the transmission; there would be lots of warning lights if it had unintentionally done the park routine described here: The Toyota Park-By-Wire System Explained: A Walk Through the Park - Automotive Tech Info

 

If the vehicle senses it is moving through the wheel speed sensors, the Park pawl will not engage .... if it did, the sudden stop when the park pawl engage would probably snap a driveshaft or CV joint .... I've exploded one of those on the Taxi Prius trying to get out of way of oncoming traffic, it hit the bitumen and bang clunk clunk clunk as the balls fell out, and no drive anywhere Flat tow to the workshop so I could replace the driveshaft

T1 Terry

 

Surely you just use the joystick to select either D or N (has to be held at N for some 2-3 seconds) in such circumstances. It wouldn't be good practice to hit the P button while going at any speed, regardless of the in-built protections of doing so, which might allow it.

 

Some people suggest doing the first change at 30,000 miles, then at every 60,000 miles thereafter.

There is no mandated Toyota oil change interval for the transmission. However, it is widely accepted that the oil should be changed on a schedule, like the one above.

 

Yes ford made sure that game couldn't be played . Others too . I don't partake personally.

 

When I initially receive car . And maybe 60 K after .

 

With a dealer? Please, not a dealer. They will always find something that you need to do (but don't).

All that needs to be done is to hook the car up to an appropriate code reader and maybe drive it around a little. If there are no codes, no odd sounds, and no odd motions while driving, then there is no current problem.

It may be that the OP's vehicle could use a transmission fluid change. Don't pay a dealer for that. Really any mechanic should be able to handle it. It is slightly inconvenient to do it in a driveway with jacks and a socket set, but in a mechanic's garage with a lift it would take what, 30 minutes?

 

fluid change should be around $150.

 

A few things:
- I don't do it often. I usually request R instead, which instantly puts me in N at speeds over ~7mph.
- It is most important that I can fluidly and directly command the car where it needs to be for me and other road-goers to be safe. How I achieve the safe physical driving patterns is less important than achieving them quickly and reliably.
- It takes, as you say, 2-3 seconds to shift to N. Those seconds involve my hands not on the steering wheel, and my foot remaining over the gas pedal, focusing on keeping the accelerator where it needs to be to ask for output torque near zero to roll at my current 25-35mph.
- There are many signals that the Hybrid Control ECU could misinterpret to do bad things. Even if the Hybrid ECU sends the transmission control ECU the park enable signal, the pawl would not be able to seat on the moving output gear over the quarter-second or so it usually mates, and would probably set a C2301.

I trust Toyota not to install a button mere inches from the wheel, implemented in a way that it would unambiguously harm you and/or the vehicle if pressed. That's the conceit of the original post, and why I mentioned my occasional use-case. OP, you're fine.