Caution: It can be dangerous to get out of the vehicle if the shift lever is not fully in P (Park) with the parking brake firmly set. The vehicle can roll. If you have left the engine running, the vehicle can move suddenly. You or others could be injured. To be sure the vehicle will not move, even when you are on fairly level ground, use the steps that follow. If you are pulling a trailer, see Towing a Trailer .

Use this procedure to shift into P (Park):

1. Hold the brake pedal down with your right foot.
2. Move the shift lever into P (Park) by pressing the button on the front of the shift lever while pushing the lever all the way toward the front of the vehicle. Release the button.
3. Continue to hold the brake pedal down, and set the parking brake. See Parking Brake for more information.
4. Turn the key to LOCK/OFF.
5. Remove the key from the ignition switch and take it with you. If you can leave the vehicle with the key in your hand, the vehicle is in P (Park).

Caution: It can be dangerous to leave the vehicle with the engine running. The vehicle could move suddenly if the shift lever is not fully in P (Park) 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 the vehicle with the engine running.

If you have to leave the vehicle with the engine running, be sure the vehicle is in P (Park) and the parking brake is firmly set before you leave it. After you have moved the shift lever into P (Park), hold the regular brake pedal down. Then, see if you can move the shift lever away from P (Park) without first pushing the button on the shift lever. If you can, it means that the shift lever was not fully locked into P (Park).

If you are parking on a hill and you do not shift your transmission into P (Park) 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 P (Park). This is called "torque lock." To prevent torque lock, set the parking brake and then shift into P (Park) properly before you leave the driver seat. To find out how, see "Shifting Into P (Park)" listed previously.

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 P (Park).