2012 Ford Focus won't start after performing maintenance
Asked by James
I replaced the neutral safety switch in my 2012 Ford Focus and made sure the linkage was tight. I still cannot start the car. When I turn the key, everything lights up, but it will not crank. The fuses are all good. After I replaced the neutral safety switch, all codes were cleared and it cranked. I ran it for a few minutes and shut it off. It would not crank again.
Answered by CarsGuide
18 Nov 2024Unless you’ve been the victim of a cruel twist of fate where something else has gone wrong at the exact moment you fitted the new neutral safety switch, it stands to reason that the new switch is not playing the game. You say you’ve tightened the selector linkage, but did you make sure the new switch was located precisely so that it could detect when the car was not in neutral (and, therefore, prevent it from starting)? By tightening the linkage, you may have moved the trigger for the safety switch to a position where it isn’t allowing the switch to make contact and let the engine crank.
In the meantime, try this: If the engine won’t turn with the gearbox in Park, move the selector to Neutral and see if that changes anything. If the car suddenly starts, you know that the new switch is working but needs adjustment to get it into the correct position.
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