Shifting Out Of Park - GMC Sierra 2008 Owner's Manual

Then, see if you can move the shift lever away from
PARK (P) without first pulling it toward you. 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
on page 2-48.
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, then
you will be able to pull the shift lever out of PARK (P).
2-50

Shifting Out of Park

This vehicle is equipped with an electronic shift lock
release system. The shift lock release is designed to:
•
Prevent ignition key removal unless the shift lever is
in PARK (P) with the shift lever button fully released,
and
•
Prevent movement of the shift lever out of PARK (P),
unless the ignition is in ON/RUN or ACC/
ACCESSORY and the regular brake pedal is applied.
The shift lock release is always functional except in the
case of an uncharged or low voltage (less than 9 volt)
battery.
If your vehicle has an uncharged battery or a battery
with low voltage, try charging or jump starting the
battery. See Jump Starting on page 5-48 for more
information.
To shift out of PARK (P) use the following:
1. Apply the brake pedal.
2. Move the shift lever to the desired position.