Neutral Safety Switch: Description and Operation

Fig. 17 Park/Neutral Switch:

[1][2]PARK/NEUTRAL POSITION SWITCH-PCM INPUT
On vehicles with 3-speed automatic transmission the [1][2]park/neutral switch provides an input to the Powertrain Control Module (PCM).

The [1][2]park/neutral position switch is located on the automatic transaxle housing. Manual transaxles do not use [1][2]park/neutral switches. The switch provides an input to the PCM to indicate whether the automatic transaxle is in Park/Neutral, or a drive gear selection. This input is used to determine idle speed (varying with gear selection) and ignition timing advance. The park/neutral input is also used to cancel vehicle speed control. The park/neutral switch is sometimes referred to as the neutral safety switch.