It can cause damage to the car. In principle, the output shaft of the automatic transmission is still rotating before the car comes to a complete stop. Directly engaging the P gear mechanically meshes the parking pawl with the brake gear, forcibly fixing the output shaft at its rotational speed, which creates a mechanical impact on the parking pawl and brake gear. The specific details are as follows: 1. Although there is an impact, it won't cause significant damage or part failure. However, if the speed is high, it might break the gear, leading to a major malfunction. The internal structure of an automatic transmission is very expensive to maintain precisely, and it's almost impossible to restore it to its original condition after a major overhaul. 2. If the P gear is engaged before the vehicle comes to a complete stop, the parking pawl and ratchet wheel in the transmission can be damaged. As long as the vehicle can still drive normally, it means the transmission hasn't suffered fatal damage. However, when using the vehicle, it's strictly prohibited to engage the P gear before coming to a complete stop, as doing so multiple times can cause significant damage to the transmission. The correct procedure for automatic parking is to first press the brake, shift into N gear to come to a smooth stop, then engage the handbrake, release the foot brake, turn off the engine, and finally shift into P gear and remove the key.
