So today was pretty shitty outside and definitely worthy of 4WD in order to get to work.

So the truck went into 4HI just fine and off I went. Everything went very smooth on the way to work.

However, when I got into the parking lot, I tried to move the shifter back to 2WD and the stick wouldn't engage 2WD. I would push it forward and all it would do is spring back down to the 4HI location. It's as if the solenoid wasn't engaging.

At the time I tried, I was fully stopped with my foot on the brake but still in Drive. I then put the truck in Park and it then allowed me to move the stick into 2WD.

I also experienced this same issue this past weekend.

I wouldn't think this was out of the ordinary but prior to this happening over the weekend, I was always able to move the shifter back to 2WD without putting the truck in park. I always just made sure that I was at a full stop (even though I know you can switch it from 2WD to 4HI at slow speeds).

I've read that the front differential transfer switch on these trucks is known to be problematic and can cause this very issue when it starts to act up. I'm tempted to just buy the part and slap it on (it's only $35-$40).

Just wondering if anyone else had this problem and if the switch ended up being the problem? Or if this is just something a lot of you with older 4Runners just deal with?