2013 Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - Page 215

Driving and Operating If you have to leave the vehicle with the engine running, be sure the vehicle is in P (Park) and the parking brake is firmly set before you leave it. After you have moved the shift lever into P (Park), hold the brake pedal down. Then see if you can move the shift lever away from P (Park) without first pushing the button on the shift lever. If you can, it means that the shift lever was not fully locked into P (Park). the driver seat. To find out how, see "Shifting Into Park (Automatic Transmission)" in this section. When you are ready to drive, move the shift lever out of P (Park) 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 parking pawl in the transmission, so you can pull the shift lever out of P (Park). 9-19 The shift lock control is always functional except in the case of an uncharged or low voltage (less than 9‐volt) battery. If the vehicle has an uncharged battery or a battery with low voltage, try charging or jump starting the battery. See Jump Starting on page 10‑74. To shift out of P (Park): 1. Apply the brake pedal. 2. Turn the ignition to ON/RUN. 3. Press the shift lever button. 4. Move the shift lever to the desired position. If still unable to shift out of P (Park): 1. Fully release the shift lever button. 2. Hold the brake pedal down and press the shift lever button again. 3. Move the shift lever to the desired position. Torque Lock (Automatic Transmission) If you are parking on a hill and you do not shift your transmission into P (Park) 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 P (Park). This is called "torque lock." To prevent torque lock, set the parking brake and then shift into P (Park) properly before you leave Shifting out of Park (Automatic Transmission) This vehicle is equipped with a shift lock control. The shift lock control is designed to: . Prevent ignition key removal unless the shift lever is in P (Park) with the shift lever button fully released. Prevent movement of the shift lever out of P (Park) unless the ignition is in ON/RUN and the brake pedal is applied. .