Jeep Cherokee Neutral Safety Switch: Location, Problem, Symptoms, Replacement, and Everything Else

Jeep Cherokee is a vehicle well known for its durability and security. And, one of its most vital hardware is its neutral safety switch.

Basically, the Jeep Cherokee neutral safety switch is a protective hardware that prevents your car from starting in any other gear than neutral or park mode. That means that if the neutral safety gear is turned on in your Jeep Cherokee, it will not let your car start ignition if any gear is engaged. This way, it will prevent accidents. 

As you can see already, it’s extremely important to know more about the neutral safety switch in your Jeep Cherokee. Luckily for you, we have provided all the info you need right below. So, check it out right now. 

What Does The Jeep Cherokee Neutral Safety Switch Do? (In Detail)

As already mentioned, the prime function of the neutral safety switch is to prevent accidents by blocking the ignition while the car is not in neutral or park mode. 

That means that this switch practically protects you from danger by making sure that your car does not start even if you mistakenly start the vehicle while it’s not in neutral.

Note: a driver should not start the ignition in a car when it’s not in neutral or park mode. Starting the ignition while a vehicle is in a particular gear (not in neutral or park mode) leads to accidents.

The Jeep Cherokee neutral safety switch works in the following way:

• When you squeeze your car key, the battery of your car sends an electric current to your engine’s starter hardware. This starts the engine ignition.
• The neutral safety switch simply prevents this current from getting to the engine’s starter when the car is in a gear (other than the neutral/park mode).

• And the neutral safety switch only lets you start your car when it’s in neutral or park mode. 
• Thanks to this safety switch, you cannot mistakenly start your car while a particular gear is engaged. Thus, you’re prevented from accidents by the neutral safety switch.

Jeep Cherokee Neutral Safety Switch Location

Generally, all models of the Jeep Cherokee have its neutral safety switch right beside its transmission case. Specifically, you will find the neutral safety switch in your Jeep Cherokee on the passenger side of your transmission. 

This module looks small in size and it’s made of plastic coated with aluminum. It’s simply an innovative metal-made platform that is attached to the transmission case with a couple of nuts.

Check the image below to have a better understanding of how this neutral safety switch looks like and where it is located:

Source

As you can see, the neutral safety switch in Jeep Cherokee sits right beside the transmission case. It’s also very close to the exhaust of the vehicle when it’s attached to the vehicle.

Jeep Cherokee Neutral Safety Switch Problem Symptoms

Now that you have a sound idea of what the neutral safety switch is, let’s get to know some symptoms that indicate your neutral safety switch is not working properly:

• The car only starts in neutral mode

Your neutral safety switch is supposed to let you start the ignition when you are in neutral mode and park mode. However, if you are unable to start the ignition in neutral mode, that means your neutral safety switch is not working properly.

• The car only starts in park mode

As mentioned above, you should be able to start your car both in neutral and park mode when your neutral safety switch is engaged. Despite that fact, if you can only start your car in park mode but not in neutral, it’s a sign that the neutral safety switch is not working correctly.

• Engaging and re-engaging a particular gear many times when driving

If the neutral safety switch of a car is faulting, engaging a particular gear once will not let you start driving. Rather, you’ll have to engage and re-engage a particular gear by jiggling your gear shaft to start driving. This is a sign that your neutral Safety switch is malfunctioning.

• Being able to start the car in any gear

You should not be able to directly start your car when it’s engaged in gear. That means the neutral safety switch is supposed to only let you start your car when it’s in neutral and park mode.

Now, If you are able to start your car in any gear, it’s an indication that your neutral safety switch is not doing its function. 

• The car won’t start in any gear

Along with the problems that we have mentioned above, another common problem that a problematic neutral safety switch can demonstrate is that it won’t let you start your car in any gear at all. This is the easiest way to understand that your neutral safety switch is fully damaged.

How To Do Jeep Cherokee Neutral Safety Switch Replacement?

Once you can pinpoint some problematic symptoms in your neutral safety switch, you have to replace it. Hence, you have to have proper knowledge of the replacement procedure for the neutral safety switch for that.

So, we provided a brief guide for replacing the neutral safety switch in Jeep Cherokee right below:

1. In the first step, engage your car in neutral mode and engage the emergency brake switch. And, locate your neutral safety switch, which is most likely attached to the transmission case of your car.
2. Clean the surrounding area of the neutral safety switch, so you can easily conduct the replacement procedures.
3. Detach the wiring harness of the neutral safety switch from its connecting point.
4. Uninstall the bolts and nuts that are securing the neutral safety switch to the transmission case. Use lubricating oil spray if the nuts and bolts are stubbornly stuck and won’t come off. 
5. Take off the old neutral safety switch and put a new one in its place. Remember, you should only use the third-party neutral safety switch that is compatible with Jeep Cherokee. 
6. Install the designated nuts and bolts to hold the new neutral safety switch in its place.
7. Attach the wiring harness of the new neutral safety switch to its former socket.

At this point, you’re going to start your Jeep Cherokee and test out the newly installed neutral safety switch.

Note: if you don’t have any prior experience handling car parts, have the neutral safety switch replacement done by a professional mechanic. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are a few commonly asked questions regarding the Jeep Cherokee neutral safety switch. Let’s check them out.