2011 Chevrolet Volt Owner's Manual - Page 325

Driving and Operating Leaving the Vehicle with the Propulsion System On the shift lever into P (Park), hold down the regular brake pedal. See if you can move the shift lever away from P (Park) without first pulling it toward you. If you can, it means that the shift lever was not fully locked into P (Park). 9-23 Shifting out of Park To shift out of P (Park), the vehicle must be in ON/RUN, the brake pedal must be applied, and the charge cord must be unplugged. The vehicle has an electronic shift lock release system. The shift lock release is designed to: . { WARNING It can be dangerous to leave the vehicle with the propulsion system on. 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 propulsion system on, it could overheat and even catch fire. You or others could be injured. Do not leave the vehicle with the propulsion system on. If you have to leave the vehicle with the propulsion system on, be sure the vehicle is in P (Park) and the parking brake is firmly set before you leave it. After you have moved Torque Lock Torque lock is when the weight of the vehicle puts too much force on the parking pawl in the electric drive unit. This happens when parking on a hill and shifting the electric drive unit into P (Park) is not done properly and then it is difficult to shift out of P (Park). To prevent torque lock, set the parking brake and then shift into P (Park). If torque lock does occur, your vehicle may need to be pushed uphill by another vehicle to relieve the parking pawl pressure, so you can shift out of P (Park). Prevent the vehicle from turning off unless the shift lever is in P (Park). Prevent moving the shift lever out of P (Park), unless the vehicle is in ON/RUN, the brake pedal is applied, and the charge cord is unplugged. . The shift lock is always functional except in the case of an uncharged or low charged 12‐volt battery (less than 9 volts). If the vehicle has an uncharged 12‐volt battery or a 12‐volt battery with low voltage, try charging or jump starting the 12‐volt battery. See Jump Starting on page 10‑79.