Should an automatic transmission be started in P gear or N gear?

[VonEliza]

An automatic transmission can be started in either P gear or N gear. Some vehicle models, for safety reasons, can only be started in P gear, as starting in N gear may lead to phenomena such as vehicle rollaway. When in N gear, the vehicle's handbrake is not locked, which can result in rollaway and potential traffic accidents. In contrast, P gear does not have the issue of rollaway, as the vehicle is in its safest state. Additionally, starting in P gear can prevent jerking in the vehicle and provides a buffer effect for the transmission when connecting to the engine's output end. It also helps avoid incorrect gear shifts during driving. There is no difference between starting in P gear or N gear, as the structural principles of P gear and N gear are essentially the same. The only difference is that P gear has an additional pawl gear mechanism compared to N gear. Both P gear and N gear disconnect the input shaft and output shaft of the transmission, preventing the output shaft from rotating. The only distinction is that in P gear, the pawl gear mechanism at the end of the output shaft is also locked.