Buick Encore: Starting and Operating / Shifting Into Park

1. Hold the brake pedal down and set the parking brake. See Parking Brake.
2. Move the shift lever into P (Park) by pressing the button on the shift lever and pushing the lever all the way toward the front of the vehicle.
3. Turn the ignition off.

Leaving the Vehicle with the Engine Running

Warning

It can be dangerous to leave the vehicle with the engine running. It could overheat and catch fire.

It is 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.

Do not leave the vehicle when the engine is running. 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, always set the parking brake and move the shift lever to P (Park). See Shifting Into Park.

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 brake pedal down. Then see if you can move the shift lever away from P (Park) without first pressing the button on the shift lever. If you can, it means that the shift lever was not fully locked into P (Park).

Torque Lock

If you are parking on a hill and 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” previously in this section.

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