Leaving Your Vehicle With The Engine Running; Torque Lock - Chevrolet 2008 Equinox 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 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 pressing the
button on the console shift lever. 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
transmission into PARK (P) properly, the weight of
the vehicle may put too much force on the parking
pawl in the transmission. 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 2-32.
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 transmission,
so you can pull the shift lever out of PARK (P).
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