1996 Pontiac Sunfire Owner's Manual - Page 79

Torque Lock (Automatic Trans'axle) If you are parking on a hill and you don't shift your transaxle intoPARK (P) properly, the weight of the vehicle may put much force onthe parking pawl in too the transaxle. You may find it difficult to pull the shift lever out of PARK ("1. This is called "torque lock."To prevent torque lock, the parking brake and thenshift set into PARK (P) properly before you leave the driver's seat. To find outhow, see "Shifting Into PARK (P)" in the Index. When you are ready to drive, movethe shift lever out of PARK (P) before you release the parking brake. PARK (P) and also release the shift lever button on floor shift consolemodels as you maintain brake application. Then movethe shift lever into the gear you wish. (Press the shiftlever button before moving the shift lever.) If you ever hold the brake pedal down but still can't Shift Out QfPARK ( ) P , this: 1. T r the key to OFF. un 2. Apply and hold the brake until the end of Step 4. 3. Shift to NEUTRAL (N). 4. Start the vehicle and then shift to the drive gear you want. If torque lock doesoccur, you may need to have another vehicle push yours a little uphill to take some of the pressure from the transaxle, so you can pull the shift lever outof PARK (PI. 5. Have the vehicle fixed as soon as you can. Parking Your Vehicle (Manual Transaxle Models Only) Before you get out of your vehicle, put your manual transaxle in REVERSE (R) and firmly apply the parking brake. If you are parking ona hill, or if your vehicle is quipped to tow a trailer, see "Towing a Trailer" in the Index. Shifting Out of PARK (P) (Automatic Transaxle) Your Pontiac hasa brake-transaxle shift interlock. You haye tQ fully Q&@Y YQUr ZEgUlXC'bE3kS bf?fQE' Can yQU shift fromPARK (P) when the ignition is in the RUN position. See "Automatic Transaxle" in the Index. If you cannot shift out of PARK (P), ease pressure on the shift lever push the shift lever all the way into -- 2-26