2009 Pontiac Solstice Owner's Manual - Page 79

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 the driver seat. To find out how, see Shifting Into Park (Automatic Transmission) on page 2-24. 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). The shift lock release 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 5-36 for more information. To shift out of P (Park): 1. Apply the brake pedal. 2. Press the shift lever button. 3. Move the shift lever to the desired position. If you still are unable to shift out of P (Park): 1. Fully release the shift lever button. 2. While holding down the brake pedal, press the shift lever button again. 3. Move the shift lever to the desired position. If you still cannot move the shift lever from P (Park), see your dealer/retailer. Shifting Out of Park The vehicle is equipped with an electronic shift lock release system. The shift lock release is designed to: • Prevent ignition key removal unless the shift lever is in P (Park) with the shift lever button fully released, and • Prevent movement of the shift lever out of P (Park), unless the ignition is in ON/RUN or ACC/ ACCESSORY and the regular brake pedal is applied. 2-25