Does the car get damaged when the door is not closed tightly and it automatically shifts to P gear?
2 Answers
Shifting into P gear before the car comes to a complete stop will not damage the car, just remember to adjust it back when starting. Below is some information about automatic transmissions: Shifting before stopping: For automatic transmission cars, you can shift gears or shift into P gear before the car comes to a complete stop. Generally, the parking mechanism in automatic transmissions is designed to prevent damage to the transmission. Additionally, you can also shift into R gear. In most transmission control units, R gear has an inhibition control feature, meaning that if the vehicle speed is above a certain threshold, the transmission will not engage R gear even if it is selected. These features are in place to prevent accidental operations. Automatic transmission gear positions: Typically, automatic transmission cars have six gear positions, arranged from top to bottom as follows: P, R, N, D, S, L. P—Parking, the parking and starting gear. When the car is parked and not in use, the gear is in this position, and the wheels are mechanically locked to prevent rolling.
I used to be a novice driver too, often fumbling and forgetting to close the door, causing the car to automatically shift into P gear, which triggered endless alarms. But actually, this doesn’t really harm the car—it’s mainly the vehicle’s computer system activating a safety lock to prevent accidental movement when the door is wide open. Doing this once or twice won’t cause much damage to the transmission or electronic components, at most wasting a bit of battery power or giving yourself a scare. However, if it happens frequently, it might slightly increase wear on the gearshift mechanism or prematurely wear out the door lock sensors. So, it’s best to develop the habit of checking that doors are properly closed to avoid small issues becoming bigger problems. Safety first—cars aren’t made of steel, after all.
