Chevrolet 2005 Leaving Your Vehicle With the Engine Running (Automatic Transmission), Torque Lock (Automatic Transmission)

Leaving Your Vehicle With the Engine
Running (Automatic Transmission)
{CAUTION:
It can be dangerous to leave your vehicle with
the engine running. Your vehicle could move
suddenly if the shift lever is not fully in
PARK(P) with the parking brake firmly set.
And, if you leave the vehicle with the engine
running, it could overheat and even catch fire.
You or others could be injured. Do not leave
your vehicle with the engine running.
If you have to leave your vehicle with the engine
running, be sure your vehicle is in PARK(P) and your
parking brake is firmly set before you leave it. After you
have moved the shift lever into PARK(P), hold down
the regular brake pedal. See if you can move the
shift lever away from PARK(P) without first pulling it
toward you. If you can, it means that the shift lever was
not fully locked into PARK(P).
Torque Lock (Automatic Transmission)
If you are parking on a hill and you do not shift your
transmission into PARK(P) properly, the weight of the
vehicle may put too much force on the parking pawl
in the transmission. You may find it difficult to pull the
shift lever out of PARK(P). This is called “torque
lock.” To prevent torque lock, set the parking brake and
then shift into PARK(P) properly before you leave
the driver’s seat. To find out how, see “Shifting
Into PARK(P)” listed previously in this section.
When you are ready to drive, move the shift lever out of
PARK(P) before you release the parking brake.
If torque lock does occur, you may need to have another
vehicle push yours a little uphill to take some of the
pressure from the transmission parking pawl, so you can
pull the shift lever out of PARK(P).
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