Pontiac 1996 Grand Prix Owner's Manual page 86

SECOND (2): This position gives you more power, but
lower fuel economy; You can use SECOND
(2)
on hills.
It can help control your speed as you go down steep
.
mountain roads, but then you would also want to use
your brakes off and on.
-
NOTICE:
Don't drive in SECOND (2) for more than
25 miles (41 km) at speeds over 55 mph
(88 km/h), or you can damage' your transaxle.
Use DRIVE (D) or THIRD (3) as much
as possible.
Don't shift into SECOND (2) unless you are going
slower than 65 mph (105 km/h), or you can
damage your engine.
FIRST (1): This position gives you even more power,
but lower fuel economy than SECOND
(2).
You can use
it on very steep hills, or in deep snow or mud. If the shift
lever is put in FIRST (l), the transaxle won't shift into
first gear until the vehicle is going slowly enough.
~
If your front wheels can't rotate, don't try to
drive. This might happen if you were stuck in
very deep sand or mud or were up against a solid
object. You could damage your transaxle.
Also, if you stop when going uphill, don't hold
your vehicle there with only the accelerator
pedal. This could overheat and damage the
transaxle. Use your brakes or shift into PARK (P)
to hold your vehicle iqposition on a
h i l l .