A new issue just starting coming up intermittently. Every now and then, the ignition doesn’t want to go all the way to the “Off” position when I shut off the vehicle. It will stay locked in “Accessory”. I have to shift from park to drive, sometimes three or four times, and it eventually releases. So how do I troubleshoot the safety switch?

 

I had a similar problem with a Jeep liberty and it ended up being a problem with the shifter, there is a safety lock in the shifter that ties back into the ignition switch, you may have the same problem with the 'runner. Best to get a service manual and use it to check if there is an adjustment procedure. On my jeep I completely disabled the lockout because I could not find a decent used shifter at the time and needed to drive it for work. It had some strange setup with multiple springs that had to stay equally tensioned for the ignition to move when in park.

 

I see this is an older post, but this is how I took care of this on my truck.
My 2002 4Runner was having an issue similar to this, having to fiddle with the shifter (into to park, out of park, etc.). The shift lever also had a fair bit of lateral play in the handle. I found the bushings in the selector lever were worn causing the problem. It was an expensive fix totaling just under $10 in parts. Part #9038511003 https://parts.toyota.com/p/Toyota_20...038511003.html that I was able to get from my local dealer. A little bit of time removing the shifter and replacing the bushing and I have not had the key get locked in the ignition switch since. The shift lever also feels higher also.