Transmission Neutral Switch

Neutral safety switch replacement.

Transmission neutral switch.

The neutral safety switch is usually made of an assembly consisting of the switch held in place by a couple of bolts attached to the transmission and plugged to a wiring connector. After the vehicle is raised on stands to allow for accessing the transmission the shift lever and the cable responsible for changing gears are removed as well as the electrical connector from the switch itself. If the neutral safety switch fails it is possible the vehicle will not start. The neutral safety switch for an automatic transmission is located inside the transmission case or in the linkage that allows the vehicle to shift gears.

The clutch safety switch on vehicles with manual transmissions serves the same purpose. The neutral safety switch will allow the engine to start with the transmission selector in park and neutral. The switch is located in two places on the vehicle. This switch tells the tcm the position of the shift leve.

This switch prevents you from starting the engine when the transmission is in any gear other than park or neutral. It is common for the neutral safety switch to be part of the same assembly as the reverse light switch which turns on your back up lights when you put your vehicle in reverse. Having a new neutral safety switch removed and replaced is a relatively simple process.