Shifting Out Of Park (P) - Pontiac 2005 Grand Am Owner's Manual

If you have to leave 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
have moved the shift lever into PARK (P), hold the
regular brake pedal down. Then, see if you can move
the shift lever away from PARK (P) without first pushing
the button.
If you can, it means that the shift lever was not fully
locked into PARK (P).
Torque Lock
If you are parking on a hill and you do not shift your
automatic transaxle into PARK (P) properly, the weight of
the 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, 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)" previously in the
section.
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 yours a little uphill to take some of the
pressure from the parking pawl in the transaxle, so you
can pull the shift lever out of PARK (P).

Shifting Out of Park (P)

Your vehicle has an automatic transaxle shift lock
control system which locks the shift lever in PARK when
the ignition is in OFF. In addition, you have to fully
apply your regular brakes before you can shift from
PARK (P) when the ignition is in ON. See Automatic
Transaxle Operation on page 2-20.
If you cannot shift out of PARK (P), ease pressure on
the shift lever and push the shift lever all the way
into PARK (P) as you maintain brake application. Then
move the shift lever into the gear you want.
If you hold the brake pedal down but still cannot shift
out of PARK (P), try this:
1. Turn the ignition key to ACCESSORY. There is no
shift interlock in this key position.
2. Apply and hold the brake until the end of Step 4.
3. Shift the transaxle to NEUTRAL (N).
4. Start the vehicle and then shift to the gear
you want.
5. Have the system fixed as soon as possible.
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