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

Torque Lock
If you are parking on a hill and you do not shift your
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)
on page 2-31.
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 your vehicle 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).
2-32

Shifting Out of Park (P)

The vehicle has an automatic transaxle shift lock control
system which locks the shift lever in PARK (P) when
the ignition is in OFF. In addition, the regular brakes
must be fully applied before shifting from PARK (P) while
the ignition is in RUN. See Automatic Transaxle
Operation on page 2-25.
If the vehicle cannot be shifted out of PARK (P), ease
pressure on the shift lever and push the shift lever
all the way up into PARK (P) as brake application
is maintained. Then move the shift lever into the
desired gear.
If the brake pedal is held down but the vehicle still
cannot be shifted out of PARK (P), try this:
1. Turn the key to ACC. 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 desired
transaxle gear.
5. Have the system fixed as soon as possible.