# Help, sometimesI can't get my car out of "Park" **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** parkingbrakes\ **Created:** [March 23, 2009, 3:22am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/help-sometimesi-cant-get-my-car-out-of-park/28177 "2009-03-23T03:22:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![littlebrook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ccd318/32.png) [@littlebrook](https://community.cartalk.com/u/littlebrook)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2009, 3:22am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/help-sometimesi-cant-get-my-car-out-of-park/28177/1 "2009-03-23T03:22:26Z")
I have 2005 Buick LeSabre, automatic. On occasions, if I am parked on an incline…either uphill or downhill, I have the devil of a time getting the gear out of park. I took it to the dealer, and of course, they did not have the problem. I’ve talked with friends who have Buicks and they too, have this problem. ---
**Author:** ![hellokit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6a8cbe/32.png) [@hellokit](https://community.cartalk.com/u/hellokit)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2009, 3:30am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/help-sometimesi-cant-get-my-car-out-of-park/28177/2 "2009-03-23T03:30:48Z")
When you stop to park, stop, put shift lever in neutral, set parking brake, take foot off brake, place shift lever into park. The “trick” is to NOT let the transmission hold the car in place, but, rather, let the park brake hold the car. ---
**Author:** ![littlebrook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ccd318/32.png) [@littlebrook](https://community.cartalk.com/u/littlebrook)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2009, 3:37am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/help-sometimesi-cant-get-my-car-out-of-park/28177/3 "2009-03-23T03:37:11Z")
Dear hellokit, Thank you so much!!! I’ll surely try this. I’m a 71 year-old lady and boy is it a struggle to get it out of park. My husband and another fellow had to "rock the car’ before I could get it out of park the last time I had the problem. ---
**Author:** ![jsutter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@jsutter](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jsutter)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2009, 12:49pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/help-sometimesi-cant-get-my-car-out-of-park/28177/4 "2009-03-23T12:49:40Z")
When they were rocking it, they were doing what the parking brake is supposed to do, taking the weight of the car off of the transmissions parking prawl. ---
**Author:** ![littlebrook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ccd318/32.png) [@littlebrook](https://community.cartalk.com/u/littlebrook)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2009, 5:23pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/help-sometimesi-cant-get-my-car-out-of-park/28177/5 "2009-03-23T17:23:56Z")
Dear jsutter, thanks…my mechanical knowledge wound’t fill a thimble. littlebrook ---
**Author:** ![hellokit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6a8cbe/32.png) [@hellokit](https://community.cartalk.com/u/hellokit)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2009, 11:35pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/help-sometimesi-cant-get-my-car-out-of-park/28177/6 "2009-03-23T23:35:45Z")
Some parking (“emergency”) brakes don’t hold the car so well. If you park alongside a curb, car pointing downhill, turn the wheels to the curb and let the tire contact the curb, let off the foot brake, set the parking brake, and, then, place shifter into park. If you are parking along a curb, pointing uphill, turn the wheel to let the back of the front tire contact the curb, let off the foot brake, set the parking brake, and shift to park. ---
**Author:** ![littlebrook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ccd318/32.png) [@littlebrook](https://community.cartalk.com/u/littlebrook)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 12:37am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/help-sometimesi-cant-get-my-car-out-of-park/28177/7 "2009-03-25T00:37:26Z")
Thanks. I do recall that tip from Drivers’ Ed ---
**Author:** ![EllyEllis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f14d63/32.png) [@EllyEllis](https://community.cartalk.com/u/EllyEllis)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 1:00am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/help-sometimesi-cant-get-my-car-out-of-park/28177/8 "2009-03-25T01:00:31Z")
I say "yes’ to all the above!!