Is It Feasible to Turn Off the Engine in N Gear for Automatic Transmission Cars?
3 Answers
Turning off the engine in N gear for automatic transmission cars is not feasible. For safety reasons, an automatic transmission car must be shifted into P gear before turning off the engine. The correct method to turn off the engine is: press the brake; shift into N gear; pull up the handbrake; release the foot brake to ensure the vehicle does not move; shift into P gear; turn off the engine. Below is additional information about N gear and P gear: 1. Both P gear and N gear disconnect the engine and the wheel transmission system from operation. The only difference is: when the engine is stopped, the vehicle can be pushed freely in N gear, but it cannot move in P gear. This is because when shifted into P gear, the pawl inside the transmission locks the output shaft, preventing the vehicle from moving. 2. More and more car models are now preset to prevent the engine from being turned off unless in P gear. This is to prevent accidents caused by the vehicle moving due to external forces if the owner forgets to pull the handbrake. 3. Always pull the handbrake before shifting into P gear. Only the handbrake can truly prevent the car from moving.
I've been driving for many years, and my experience as a seasoned driver tells me that turning off an automatic transmission car in N gear is really not okay—it's too dangerous! The main issue is that the car isn't locked, and if it stalls on a slope, it could roll away on its own, potentially hitting something or someone, which would be a big problem. I remember one time when I parked in my neighborhood, trying to save some effort by turning off the engine in N gear, and the car rolled back almost half a meter, nearly scraping a tree—it gave me quite a scare. Now, I always turn off the engine in P gear. P gear has a parking lock mechanism that securely fixes the wheels—safety first. Also, regarding the battery and electronic systems, frequently turning off the engine in N gear could lead to abnormal dashboard displays, which would cost time and money to fix. In short, there are no small matters when it comes to driving safety—it's best to develop good habits.
As an amateur car enthusiast who loves tinkering with vehicles, I believe technical details are quite important. Turning off the engine in Neutral (N) gear is not advisable because N gear only disconnects the power link between the engine and the wheels without physical locking; engaging Park (P) gear, on the other hand, uses a parking pawl to latch onto the gear, ensuring the vehicle doesn't move. If you turn off the engine in N gear, the car might move if the ground is uneven, and it could also disrupt the battery's power balance, potentially leading to long-term damage to the starter motor or sensors. I once tried turning off the engine in N gear at traffic lights to save fuel, but the frequent restarts actually resulted in higher fuel consumption, making it counterproductive. Checking the user manual, it typically recommends turning off the engine only in P gear, as this is the designed safety protocol.
