this post was submitted on 23 Mar 2026
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No Stupid Questions

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Always wanted to know this, always been afraid to Google it because I figured it would report me for self harm or something like that.

So, 1. What would happen if, while driving on the highway at highway speeds, you grab the gear shift knob and put it in park? Would it just lock up all the wheels or what?

And 2. What would happen if, also while driving on the highway, at highway speeds, you turn the car off (turn the key and remove it)?

I feel like both should be impossible while the car is in motion. But somehow I don't think they are. And to a gearhead, these are probably really stupid questions. But as someone who barely understands how cars do what they do... I'm curious.

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[โ€“] cerebralhawks@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Makes sense. My car has an automatic transmission, I know that much. (Actually no, I have a CVT, and yes, I know it's shit, but the car is paid off and it's still going strong at 130k miles... dodged a bullet, it seems.) So I guess it would just sit in neutral until it's stopped?

And yeah, makes sense about the key thing.

[โ€“] over_clox@lemmy.world 1 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Ooh a CVT? Well that's a different bag of worms I'm not directly familiar with, though I do know how they work and the nature of wear and tear of the parts they're known for.

Honestly, I have no idea what would happen to a CVT if you put it in Park while driving, but I still bet nothing good...

[โ€“] BCsven@lemmy.ca 1 points 4 days ago

You are probably thinking super old CVTs. Modern ones are great. Our Honda has 200k on it and CVT is fine. We did a fluid change around 100k and all was fine