Park/Neutral Switch

A simple switch confirming the transmission is in park or neutral, fitted on many vehicles separately from the full transmission range sensor. The separation is deliberate: the starter interlock is a safety function, and hanging it on a multi-position sensor that must resolve six or seven positions puts a complex part in a critical path. A switch that closes in two positions and does nothing else is easier to trust and fails more predictably. Its failure direction matters — open, the starter is inhibited and the engine will not crank, which is safe and merely inconvenient; shorted, the interlock believes cranking is always permitted and the protection against starting in gear is gone while the car starts perfectly.

Also known as: pnp switch, neutral safety switch, park neutral position switch, inhibitor switch, neutral switch

Referenced by 40 codes

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Codes involving this component (40)

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