1998 Chevrolet Prizm Owner's Manual - Page 100

Leaving Your Vehicle With the Engine RI ng (Autom;- 'ic -'an --'e Only) - - Torque Lock (Automatic Transaxle) If you are parkingon a hill and you don'tshift your transaxle into PARK (P) properly,the weight of the vehicle may puttoo 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, 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)" 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 occur, you may need to have another vehicle push yoursa little uphill to takesome of the pressure from the parking pawl in the transaxle, so you can pull the shift lever out of PARK (P). It can be dangerous to leave your vehicle with the engine running. Your vehicle could move (P) suddenly if the shift lever is not fully in PARK with the parking brake firmly set. And, if you 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 you have to. Shifting Out of PARK(P) (Automatic Transaxle) Your vehicle has a Brake-Transaxle Shift Interlock (BTSI). You have to fully apply your regular brakes before you can shift from PARK (P) when the ignition is in the ON position. See "Automatic Transaxle Operation" in the Index. 2-22