How to Put a Car Into Neutral When the Battery Is Dead

Modern vehicles have electronic ignitions; most of them also have electronic shift lock, often included as a safety or anti-theft feature. This presents a problem if your battery is dead; without power, the electronic shift lock cannot disengage with the key in the ignition. All vehicles with electronic shift lock have a manual override, allowing you to bypass the feature in emergencies.

Things You'll Need

• Flathead screwdriver

Instructions

1. Set your parking brake for safety. Some vehicles use a handbrake (usually next to your gear selector); others use a pedal brake (usually to the left of your accelerator pedal).

2. Locate and engage the shift lock override. Vehicles with electronic shift lock have manual overrides. Look for a tiny, removable panel on your shift selector. Pry this panel up with a flathead screwdriver. Insert the screwdriver into the hole to engage the manual shift lock override.

3. Insert your key into the ignition; turn it to the "On" or "Acc" position.

4. Depress the brake pedal completely. Move the shift selector to neutral.

Tips & Warnings

• If your vehicle does not have a manual shift lock override, it does not have an electronic shift lock. Follow the procedure, omitting the manual override step.

• Don't forget to engage your parking brake; your vehicle could roll forward or backwards without it.

References

• TechPubNissan: Altima (PDF) (Page 183)
• Ford Fleet: 2005 Focus Owners Manual (Page 140)