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Faulty neural safety switch....only in cold weather??
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missnonnie
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Feb 10, 2011, 4:51 PM
Post #1 of 11
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Faulty neural safety switch....only in cold weather??
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Hi,
Two days ago I tried to start my 2009 Rav4 (24,000 highway miles) in the early morning. Turned the ignition key with vehicle in park, and nothing. Pure silence. Tried to shift into neutral to see if it would start (automatic transmission), but shift lever seemed to be locked in park. I thought maybe it was because it had been brutally cold the night before. Left car in driveway, and later in the afternoon when it was warmer outside, tried to start again. No problem, started right up. But the next morning (again the night before had been cold), it wouldn't start again, and again I couldn't shift it out of park. But in the afternoon, it again started right up. Took it to a Toyota dealer and they said the battery was fine, everything looked good, but the neutral safety switch was bad, so they replaced it. I guess I'll know tomorrow morning whether their diagnosis was right! But my question is this: if the Rav wouldn't start due to a faulty neutral safety switch, why would it only fail to start in the morning when it was cold, and then start right up later in the day? If the switch was bad, wouldn't it fail to start no matter when I turned the ignition on??? The replacement was covered under warranty, so this didn't cost me anything....I would just like to understand why the weather would affect it.
Thanks,
Linda
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Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Feb 10, 2011, 5:19 PM
Post #2 of 11
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Re: Faulty neural safety switch....only in cold weather??
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It doesn't seem to make sense but I wouldn't say it's impossible. The cold could be effecting the switch, especially if it got wet internally.
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missnonnie
Novice
Feb 11, 2011, 10:26 AM
Post #3 of 11
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Re: Faulty neural safety switch....only in cold weather??
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Hi Hammertime,
Thanks for your response. It looks like it must be something else that is causing the problem. I brought the car home about 5:00 and went out to start it at 11:00 when the temperature had dropped. It started up then, but this morning at 7:00 when it was much colder out, it wouldn't start. Dead silence when I turn the key.
My plan is to try starting it this afternoon, and since it will be warmer out, it should start right up. I'm going to drop it off at the dealer's and leave it overnight so they can try starting it in the morning. If the past three days is any indication, it won't turn over for them either. Regardless of what they end up doing to it tomorrow, I'm going to ask them to keep it another night to see if the new repair fixes the problem and it starts Sunday morning.
Anyone have any ideas what on earth could be freezing in the morning and preventing the car from starting, then thawing it out and letting it start in the afternoon???
Thanks for any ideas. The mechanics there seemed stumped!
Linda
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Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky
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Feb 11, 2011, 11:06 AM
Post #4 of 11
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Re: Faulty neural safety switch....only in cold weather??
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The problem could be the starter itself but that still needs to be determined.
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missnonnie
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Feb 11, 2011, 11:25 AM
Post #5 of 11
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Re: Faulty neural safety switch....only in cold weather??
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I sure hope it isn't the starter, Hammer. I was under the impression replacing a starter can cost quite a bit. Of course, I was under the impression a starter would last more than two years, too!!
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missnonnie
Novice
Feb 11, 2011, 12:10 PM
Post #6 of 11
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Re: Faulty neural safety switch....only in cold weather??
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Hammer, I've been trying to read up on problems starting a vehicle in cold weather, and was wondering what you think about the possibility of a frozen solenoid? I've had starters go on other cars I've had in the past and I've always had some indication that the starter was going.....you know, having to try the ignition several times, lots of cranking and groaning before it finally catches. The issue I'm having now happened suddenly, the morning after one of the coldest nights we've had in a long time. It was the first time the RAV has ever failed to start. From what I've read, the solenoid is one of the few things that can freeze. A friend suggested that even though the battery appears to be okay and looks good visually, that maybe one of the poles on the battery has some oxidation on it and if cleaned off with a bit of sandpaper, it would get enough juice to the starter. But it seems to me if that were the case, then the car wouldn't start in the afternoon when it's warm outside, either. Whatever the problem is, it is being affected by the cold; otherwise, the car consistently would fail to start, wouldn't it?
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Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky
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Feb 11, 2011, 1:52 PM
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Re: Faulty neural safety switch....only in cold weather??
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The solenoid is part of the starter. you's still be looking at a bad starter.
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missnonnie
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Feb 11, 2011, 4:47 PM
Post #8 of 11
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Re: Faulty neural safety switch....only in cold weather??
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But can a starter motor and a starter solenoid be replaced separately? Or are they one unit? I thought the solenoid was a separate part that brought the juice from the battery into the starter motor. But maybe I misunderstood what I had read.
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Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky
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Feb 11, 2011, 4:51 PM
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Re: Faulty neural safety switch....only in cold weather??
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It is an integral part of the starter. It can be removed but likely is not sold separately and I wouldn't advise it if it was.
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We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.
(This post was edited by Hammer Time on Feb 11, 2011, 4:59 PM)
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missnonnie
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Feb 11, 2011, 5:22 PM
Post #10 of 11
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Re: Faulty neural safety switch....only in cold weather??
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Thanks for the illustration, Hammer Time! That made it a lot clearer.
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Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky
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Feb 11, 2011, 6:23 PM
Post #11 of 11
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Re: Faulty neural safety switch....only in cold weather??
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Your welcome
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We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.
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