Transmission Neutral Safety Switch

In an automatic transmission vehicle the neutral safety switch is typically placed inside the case of the transmission.

Transmission neutral safety switch.

The purpose of the neutral safety switch is to prevent the car from starting while in gear which would cause it to launch forward unexpectedly. The function of a neutral safety switch is to tell the engine to start when in neutral or park and prevent it from starting in gear. 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. The neutral safety switch only completes the starter circuit when the gearshift is in the park or neutral position and leaves it open when it is in gear.

If the neutral safety switch fails it is possible the vehicle will not start. That way the vehicle will not roll forward right afterward. The neutral safety switch is a safety device that only allows you to start your engine when the automatic transmission is in either park or neutral. The neutral safety switch is a small but very important part.

Thus the starter solenoid receives power from the battery only in the park and neutral transmission thus allowing the engine to start only in these cases. The purpose of the neutral safety switch is to. The clutch safety switch on vehicles with manual transmissions serves the same purpose.