1996 Oldsmobile Achieva Owner's Manual - Page 81

Torque Lock (Automatic Transaxle) If you are parking on a hill and you don't shift your transaxle into PARK (P) properly, theweight of the vehicle may put too much force on the parking pawl in the transaxle. You may find it difficult to pull the shift lever out of PARK (P). This is called "torque lock." To prevent torque lock, set theparking brake and then shift into PARK (P) properly before you leave the driver's seat. To find out how, see "Shifting Into PARK (P)" in the Index. When you are ready to drive, move the shift leverout of PARK (P) before you release the parking brake. ease pressure on If you cannot shift out of PARK (P), the shift lever -- push the shift lever all the way into PARK (P) -- as you maintain brake application. Then move the shift into the gear you wish. (Press the shift lever button before moving the shift lever.) If you ever hold the brake pedal down but still can't shift out of PARK (P), try this: 1. Turn the key to OFF, not LOCK. 2. Apply and hold the regular brake until the end of Step 4. 3. Shift to NEUTRAL (N). 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 transaxle, so you can pull the shift lever out of PARK (P). 4. Start the vehicle and then shift to the drive gear you want. 5. Have the velucle fixed as soon as you can, Shifting Outof PARK (P) (Automatic Transaxle) Your Oldsmobile has a brake-transaxle shift interlock. You have to apply your regular brake before you can shift from PARK (P) when the ignition is inthe RUN position. See "Automatic Transaxle" in the Index. Parking Your Vehicle (Manual Transaxle) Before you get out of your vehicle, put your manual transaxle in REVERSE (R) and firmly apply the parking brake. If your vehicle is equipped to tow a trailer, see "Towing a Trailer" in theIndex. 2-27