Saturn 2009 ASTRA - Manual (Page 158)

Leaving the Vehicle with the
Engine Running
{ 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.
If you can, it means that the shift
lever was not fully locked in
P (Park).
Torque Lock
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 on
page 8-11.
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 your vehicle 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).
Shifting Out of Park
This vehicle has an electronic shift
lock release system. The shift
lock release is designed to:
• Prevent ignition key removal
unless the shift lever is in
P (Park) with the shift lever
button fully released.
• Prevent movement of the shift
lever out of P (Park), unless
the ignition is in the ON/RUN
position 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.
8-12 Driving and Operating