Shifting Into Park Automatic Transmission

Caution: It can be dangerous to get out of the vehicle if the shift lever is not fully in P (Park) with the parking brake firmly set. The vehicle can roll. If you have left the engine running, the vehicle can move suddenly. You or others could be injured. To be sure the vehicle will not move, even when you are on fairly level ground, use the steps that follow. If you are pulling a trailer, see Towing a Trailer .

1. Hold the brake pedal down with your right foot and set the parking brake.
2. Move the shift lever into PARK (P).

•	Press in and hold the shift lever button, located on the top of the shift lever.

•	Push the lever all the way toward the front of the vehicle.

3. Turn the main key to LOCK.
4. Remove the key and take it with you. If you can leave your vehicle with the main key in your hand, your vehicle is in PARK (P).

Caution: It can be dangerous to leave the vehicle with the engine running. The vehicle could move suddenly if the shift lever is not fully in P (Park) 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 the vehicle with the engine running.

If you have to leave your vehicle with the engine running, be sure the vehicle is in PARK (P) and the parking brake is firmly set before you leave it. After you have moved the shift lever into PARK (P), hold the regular brake pedal down. Then, see if you can move the shift lever away from PARK (P), without first pushing the shift lever button. If you can, it means that the shift lever was not fully locked into PARK (P).

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 move 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 .

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 your vehicle uphill. This should take some of the pressure from the parking pawl in the transmission, so you can move the shift lever out of PARK (P).