Pontiac 1998 Grand Am Owner's Manual page 90

Leaving Your Vehicle With the Engine
Running (Automatic Transaxle Only)
A
CAUTION:
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. Don't leave your vehicle with the
engine running unless
you have
to.
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've moved the shift lever into the PARK (P)
position, hold the regular brake pedal down. Then, see
if
you can move the shift lever away from PARK (P)
without first pushing the button.
If you can, it means that the shift lever wasn't fully
locked into PARK (P).
Torque Lock (Automatic Transaxle)
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)"
in
the Index.
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).
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