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, then set the parking brake.

See Parking Brake for more information.

Caution: With all-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, four-wheel high (4H) or four-wheel low (4L) -- not in Neutral.

2. Move the shift lever into P (Park) by pressing the shift lever button and moving the lever as far forward as it will go.
3. Turn the ignition key to LOCK/OFF.
4. Remove the key from the ignition.

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 pressing the shift lever button. If you can, it means that the shift lever was not fully locked into P (Park).

Torque lock is when the weight of the vehicle puts too much force on the parking pawl in the transmission. This happens when parking on a hill and shifting the transmission into P (Park) is not done properly and then it is difficult to shift out of P (Park). To prevent torque lock, set the parking brake and then shift into P (Park). To find out how, see "Shifting Into P (Park)" listed previously.

If torque lock does occur, your vehicle may need to be pushed uphill by another vehicle to relieve the parking pawl pressure, so you can shift out of P (Park).