Transmission seems to stay on lower gears

I was wondering if this is normal. When I’m descending down a hill it seems like it likes to stay in the lower gears to slow it down even when I try stepping on the accelerator it doesn’t switch to the higher gear. Is it suppose to do that?

But the 4Runner’s changes gear smoothly on flat road and even going up hill.

 

Yes completely normal and a nice feature IMO

 

It's automatic engine breaking. Basically so you don't have to "ride the brakes" down an extended hill/slope. Sometimes if you tap the gas hard enough you might get it to dis-engage. Alternately, sometimes it doesn't seem to engage at all when going downhill.

Tacoma's do it too, and in my experience, I've never been able to tell exactly what makes it happen or not happen. Seems erratic to me and I've been driving Tacoma's and 4runners for 20+ years.

That said, it's not a huge annoyance or anything. And when it does present itself, it's usually in a case where it's appreciated.

 

Thanks Guys!