If your car keeps moving after you select Park, treat it as a rollaway hazard. Keep your foot on the service brake, keep people clear of the vehicle’s path, and do not leave it in a place where it can roll. Apply the parking brake and follow the parking sequence in your owner’s manual. If it still will not stay put, arrange a vehicle-specific inspection and check for open recalls by VIN.
What to do right now
- Keep the service brake pressed. Do not get out while the vehicle is moving or if you cannot keep it controlled. Make sure passengers and bystanders stay clear of its path.
- Apply the parking brake. NHTSA advises drivers to engage the parking brake and ensure the vehicle is securely in Park before exiting. See NHTSA’s vehicle rollaway guidance.
- Follow your owner’s manual’s parking procedure. Vehicle controls and drivetrain configurations differ. Do not rely on a generic sequence if your manual specifies another one.
- If the car still moves, do not leave it parked where it can roll. Keep it controlled and contact a qualified mechanic or dealer about inspection or safe transport. Do not test it on a slope or crawl under it.
Why a vehicle might move in Park
The symptom does not identify a failed part. Possible explanations include a problem with the Park mechanism, the parking brake, the way the vehicle was shifted or parked, or a drivetrain configuration that affects how Park works. Diagnosis depends on the vehicle’s make, model, year, transmission, equipment and circumstances.
Park mechanism or vehicle configuration
Park is not identical across all vehicles. NHTSA investigation records describe a specific configuration in which vehicles were reported to roll after Park was selected because they were built without a park pawl, even though their shift levers had a Park position. That is one documented possibility, not evidence that your vehicle has the same design or fault. Read the NHTSA investigation chronology in its specific context.
Parking procedure or parking brake
A selector that is not fully in Park, or a parking brake that has not been firmly set, can leave a vehicle insecure. A NHTSA-hosted owner-manual excerpt warns: “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.” Use your own vehicle’s manual rather than assuming that another model’s instructions apply.
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Four-wheel-drive transfer case
Some four-wheel-drive vehicles can roll if the transfer case is in Neutral even when the transmission selector is in Park. In the NHTSA-hosted General Motors manual excerpt, the sequence is to hold the brake, set the parking brake, select Park fully, ensure the transfer case is in a drive gear rather than Neutral, and then turn off the ignition. This applies to the configuration described in that excerpt; check your own manual for the correct procedure.
Does this mean the car is unsafe to drive?
A vehicle that will not stay stationary when parked presents a rollaway risk, so do not treat the symptom as harmless or assume that selecting Park alone is enough. Keep the car out of any parking location where it may move, and arrange a qualified inspection. Whether it is safe to drive to a shop depends on the vehicle’s condition and the extent of the problem; if you cannot keep it controlled, contact a dealer, mechanic or roadside-assistance provider about safe transport.
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Could this be a recall?
Possibly, but the symptom alone does not establish recall coverage. NHTSA’s June 30, 2022 preliminary announcement concerned an affected vehicle that could move after being placed in Park and advised those customers to apply the parking brake in the meantime. That was guidance for that recall matter, not a finding that every vehicle with this symptom is included. Check your VIN for open recalls and contact the manufacturer or dealer if a recall applies. See the NHTSA preliminary announcement.
What information will help with diagnosis?
When you contact a dealer or mechanic, provide the make, model and year; transmission type; whether the car was on a slope; whether you applied the parking brake; any dashboard warning; and whether it has a transfer case. These details help the technician check the relevant manual procedure, assess VIN-specific recall eligibility and determine what needs inspection.
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You can compare repair providers by asking whether they have experience with your vehicle, can check recalls by VIN, will explain the diagnostic findings, and will provide a written estimate. Do not assume that a parking pawl, parking brake or other part needs replacement before the vehicle has been diagnosed.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What Park does—and does not—guarantee
NHTSA says the brake transmission shift interlock requires the service brake to be depressed before shifting out of Park for automatic-transmission vehicles with a Park position manufactured for sale after September 1, 2010. That interlock is a safeguard against shifting out of Park; it is not proof that a parked vehicle will stay stationary. See NHTSA’s interpretation.
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A separate, historical 1995 NHTSA interpretation describes an FMVSS 114 test in which movement must not exceed 150 mm on a 10 percent grade when the vehicle is locked in Park. This is a description of a regulatory test, not a consumer test, a normal-motion allowance or a way to diagnose your vehicle. See the 1995 interpretation.
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