Many Americans Don’t Know This: What’s That Red Button Next to the Shifter For?

It just so happened that my grandfather's old 1992 Toyota Corolla had been sitting in the garage for a long time. The time came to get it out of there, but the car refused to run. But let's start from the beginning.

So, after inspecting the car, I realized that despite its age, almost 35 years, this car has some features that not even all of our new cars have today. I mean, what can you say, the Japanese were already building quality and using interesting technical solutions back in the 80s. But anyway, back to the topic.

The red button on the automatic transmission, why was it installed?

If I were a kid, I would have thought it was nitrous oxide, like in the Fast and the Furious movies, to make the car go faster. But no, the car is far from sporty, and this button is present on almost all cars with an automatic transmission, just not usually red.

If you read forums on this topic, you'll see all kinds of jokes about this button. A direct line to Washington, a call mechanic button, an ejector seat.

If you look closely, you can see some characters. Of course, I don't know Japanese.

Actually, it's very simple.

If you happen to be in a situation like mine, where the battery is dead, or let's say your car has broken down. And you need to tow the car to the nearest service station. With an automatic transmission, if you're in Park (P), you can only shift out of it when you turn the ignition key.

But if all that isn't working, this button is exactly what it's for. You press it and shift into Neutral (N), and only then do you proceed with towing.

So, that's one of the features of a 30-year-old automatic transmission. Is it some kind of complication? I don't think so.