Shifting Into Park Automatic Transmission

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 .

1. Hold the brake pedal down with your right foot and set the parking brake.

See Parking Brake for more information.

Caution: If you have four-wheel drive, the vehicle will be free to roll -- even if the shift lever is in P (Park) -- if the transfer case is in Neutral. So, be sure the transfer case is in a drive gear, two-wheel high (2H) or four-wheel high (4H) or four-wheel low (4L) -- not in Neutral.

2. Move the shift lever into P (Park) by pulling the lever toward you and moving it up as far as it will go.
3. Turn the ignition key to LOCK/OFF.
4. Remove the key and take it with you. If you can leave the vehicle with the key, 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 pulling it toward you. If you can, the shift lever was not fully locked into P (Park).

If you are parking on a hill and you do not shift the 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 Park .

When you are ready to drive, move the shift lever out of P (Park) 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 P (Park).