Chevrolet Cobalt Owners Manual: Shifting Into Park (Automatic Transmission)

WARNING:
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 (Automatic Transmission) or Towing a Trailer (Manual Transmission).

To shift into P (Park): 1. Hold the brake pedal down and set the parking brake. See Parking Brake for more information.

2. Move the shift lever into P (Park) by holding in the button on the shift lever and pushing the lever all the way toward the front of the vehicle.

3. Turn the ignition key to LOCK/OFF.   

Leaving the Vehicle With the Engine Running (Automatic Transmission)

WARNING:
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 an automatic transmission 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 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 into P (Park).

Torque Lock (Automatic Transmission)

If you are parking on a hill and you do not shift 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 (Automatic Transmission).

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).