What is a safety neutral switch?
Without exception, all new vehicles sold in America today have neutral safety switches, sometimes called a safety neutral switch. These small but important devices have prevented countess dollars of unintentional damage and have likely saved a number of lives.FunctionEssentially, a neutral safety switch disables a vehicle’s ignition or starter if the transmission is in any other gear than park or neutral.ImportanceIf a vehicle is started in gear, it can and will move without warning. Some people have disabled theirs and wound up driving through the garage door.Manual Transmission CarsBecause the engine has a direct mechanical connection to the wheels, these devices are particularly important on manual-transmission-equipped cars.Positive/Negative EngagementOlder switches used a negative engagement switch that interfered with engine starting when not in the proper gear, but new switches use a positive engagement system that routes power through the switch.
