Torque Lock - Buick 2004 Regal Owner's Manual

Leaving Your Vehicle With the Engine
Running
CAUTION:
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It can be dangerous to leave your vehicle with
the engine running. Your vehicle could move
suddenly if the shift lever is not fully in
PARK (P) 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
your vehicle with the engine running.
If you have to leave your vehicle with the engine
running, be sure your vehicle is in PARK (P) and the
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 out of PARK (P) without first pushing
the shift lever button. If you can, it means that the shift
lever was not fully locked into PARK (P).
2-26

Torque Lock

If the vehicle is parked on a hill and the transaxle is not
shifted into PARK (P) properly, the weight of the
vehicle may put too much force on the parking pawl in
the transaxle. It might be 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 leaving the driver's
seat. To find out how, see Shifting Into Park (P) on
page 2-25.
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, another vehicle might have to
push yours a little uphill. This takes some of the
pressure off the parking pawl in the transaxle, enabling
the shift lever to be moved out of PARK (P).