Torque Lock; Shifting Out Of Park (P - Buick 2004 LeSabre Owner's Manual

Torque Lock

If you are parking on a hill and you don't 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 2-28.
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).
2-30

Shifting Out of Park (P)

Your vehicle has an automatic transaxle shift lock
control system which locks the shift lever in PARK (P)
when the ignition is in the LOCK position. In addition,
you have to fully apply your regular brakes before you
can shift from PARK (P) when the ignition is in RUN.
See Automatic Transaxle Operation on page 2-25.
If you cannot shift out of PARK (P), ease pressure on
the shift lever and push the shift lever all the way up into
PARK (P) as you maintain brake application. Then,
move the shift lever into the gear you want.
If you ever hold the brake pedal down but still can't shift
out of PARK (P), try this:
1. Turn the key to OFF. Open and close the driver's
door to turn off the RAP feature. (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 you can.