Shifting Out Of Park - Chevrolet 2009 Equinox Owner's Manual

Leaving the Vehicle With the Engine
Running
CAUTION:
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It can be dangerous to leave the vehicle with the
engine running. 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 engine running, it could overheat and even
catch fire. You or others could be injured. Do not
leave the vehicle with the engine running.
If you have to leave the vehicle with the engine running,
be sure the vehicle is in P (Park) and the parking brake is
firmly set before you leave it. After you have moved the
shift lever into P (Park), hold the regular brake pedal
down. Then, see if you can move the shift lever away
from P (Park) without first pressing the button on the
console shift lever. If you can, it means that the shift
lever was not fully locked into P (Park).
Torque Lock
Torque lock is when the weight of the vehicle puts
too much force on the parking pawl in the transmission.
This happens when parking on a hill and shifting the
transmission 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). To find
out how, see ''Shifting Into P (Park)'' listed previously.
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).

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.
The shift lock release is always functional except in the
case of an uncharged or low voltage (less than 9 volt)
battery.
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