1998 Pontiac Sunfire Owner's Manual - Page 98

Leaving Your Vehicle With the Engine Running (Automatic Transaxle Only) Torque Lock (Automatic Transaxle) If you are parlungon a hill and you don't shift your transaxle into PARK (P) properly, the weight of vehicle may put too much force on the parking pawl in the transaxle. You may find it difficult to pull the shift lever out of PARK (P). This is called "torque lock." To prevent torque lock, setthe 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)" in the Index. When you are ready to drive, move the shift lever out of PARK (P) before you release the parking brake. If torque lock does omccur, may need to have another you It can be dangerous to leave your vehicle with the engine running. Your vehicle could move suddenly if the shift lever not fully in is PARK (P) with the parking brake firmly And, if you set. leave the vehicle with the engine running, it could overheat and even catch fire. or others could You be injured. Don't leave your vehicle with the engine running unless have to, you If you have toleave 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've moved the shift lever into the PARK (P) position, hold the regular brake pedal down. Then, see if you canmove the shift lever away from PARK (P) without first pushing the button. If you can, it means that the shift lever wasn't fully locke'dinto PARK (P). vehicle push yours a little uphill take some the to of pressure from the parking pawl in the transaxle, so you can pull the shift lever out of PARK (P).