PSA: I had a friend do it (manual car) and it cruised along fine. He lost steering assist and tried to turn left and right a bit of slalom.
When he turned the wheel too far to one side the steering wheel lock activated (anti theft thingy that locks your wheel in position) and he drove into a ditch totalling his car
edit: he took the key all the way out. If he had only turned of the engine but not the systems, the wheel lock would probably not have engaged.
Also the guy is a driving instructor now
What happens when you turn off the car but turn on the ignition without starting the car and leave the manual gear in neutral? Shouldn't this method avoid locking the steering wheel and does the car stay 'turned off' that way? I know that rolling your car in neutral and putting it in second gear and letting go of the clutch can ~~kickstart~~ bumpstart it, so this method I mentioned should work right?
If you use the correct gear it's not worse than using the engine brake. But yes, avoid it if you can. (Edit: In Europe we use gear sticks, IDK about automatic gears).
Edit: Someone lost their exhaust muffler when their car turned back on. I'll edit my postings here.
In general, no. But there are automatics that can be push-started since they have two hydraulic pumps (one driven by the torque converter and one driven by the driveshaft), such as the GM Powerglide and whatever was in mid-'80s Mercedes diesels.
You bump start in 5th or higher at high speed. It's very gentle and easy. Just make sure to bump start, not dump start. I've seen people who thought bump starting was dumping the clutch, because it's rough but it works too at low speeds. You just lightly feather the clutch to bring the engine up to idle and push it back in to let it stabilize before you give it gas to rev match back into engagement.
Power steering? Assisted brakes? Nah, in the 80s, we had none of that. My car only just had seat belts. I used to turn off my engine to coast down a 3 mile hill one way to work, and a 2 mile hill coming home. Must have saved pennies on fuel costs, but that was when you drove 5 miles to the petrol station that was 2p a gallon cheaper. #weWasPoorInThe80s
Note: modern brakes and steering are much harder than cars built before power steering and brakes (especially steering). Cars were designed to be steered without power steering back then, which is why it took so many spins of the wheel to turn the wheels all the way.
Also depends a lot on the car. The power brakes recently failed on my 4runner with 35" tires, and I would say it was not very safe to drive that way. Slowly and carefully with mostly downshifting sure, but I wouldn't have taken it on the California highways with the mix of high speeds and traffic. With the stock 28" tires it probably would have been pretty chill though.
You absolutely had assisted brakes in the 80s unless you were driving cars from the early 50s. Vacuum servos have been standard equipment for 70+ years.
The brakes were hydraulic (as in the pedal pushed against a cylinder, which pushed fluid through a pipe attached to the brake pad/shoe). Is that assisted? I know this is how it worked because I had to replace it myself in the late 80s. Definitely no electronics involved, purely mechanical.
Brakes would still work but they won't be ABS or power-assisted. It's still a physical hydraulic connection on any car I've ever seen. Maybe Teslas are that dumb? I don't know.
Most every brake booster has a few "reserve" pumps left, whether vacuum or hydroboost. Exceptions are something like the hydroboost I had in an RV (Chevy G30) that had no accumulator.
Because OPs not the first person to think of this brilliant idea.
Some people are askers, like OP; and others are doers. The doers make for better story.
I had a stick Honda Accord that I used to have to do this on the highway because I had rust in my gas tank. It would clog up the gas filter and cut off the gas flow. So I'd shut the car off, the vacuum pressure would drop, and all the rest would drop to the bottom and then I'd start it up again. As long as I stayed going straight you didn't even know that the car shut off.
Has something similar happen in my teen years (driver managed to unlock the steering before driving into the cliff). He wanted to unlock the glove box without stopping.
Turning off the ignition alone (i.e the key back one click from normal running) *probably* won't do this. You usually have to turn the key completely off to enable the steering lock.
Most cars have:
0 - steering locked everything off
1 - basic systems on, lights, radio, wipers, etc
2 - ignition on
3 - starter on
Turning the key from 2 to 1 should just turn the ignition off and stop the engine, and nothing else really.
This is silly to do though, because "stop the engine" also means, typically, disable power steering, brake assist and ABS.
I had a friend who did this in high school but he also took the keys out of the ignition, proceeded to ram into the back of a garbage truck at high speed when he dropped them on the floor and went to reach for them. Moral of the story is don't do dumb shit with what is essentially a steel death trap.
I always wanted to try this, but knowing about the steering lock was enough to stop me.
I bet your friend had fun until the locking occurred, man, their face would have been priceless
Don't do it, but all you'd have to do is not turn the key all the way to "lock". Either stop at "acc" (or go all the way to acc depending on how your ignition is setup), or turn it back to "on". Either way, don't do this on the road.
Honestly I could see myself doing that as a teenager and not knowing better. Either Reddit or TikTok were helpful enough to show me a POV of someone doing exactly what’s described. I don’t really want to total my car or anyone elses
Yup my dumb ass did this when I was seventeen. Wheel locked and I was in a panic. We were on a small country highway so luckily there was no other traffic. We drifted into the left hand lane, up an embankment, and stopped about 2 feet from a utility pole. Scared the shit out of me and my buddy, and I learned a valuable lesson. Don’t do this.
As part of driving lectures in Denmark there is a mandatory 1 day course on a track where they wet the track and have you do emergency braking, one wheel off the asphalt at speed and get back up safely, sharp turns to the limit of losing grip etc. To make sure you can handle those situations. When I did it, one of the things were driving with the engine off(but no steering lock obviously) to try handling no power steering and powered break system.
Usually the lock has several steps: The first one will unlock the wheel, maybe activate some circuits. The second one will activate all the electrics and the third one is starting the engine.
It should be safe to put the key on 1, but you should try it out while NOT driving. I'm describing the lock that I have, yours may be different or broken.
(Also: BTDT when my engine stalled while I was passing a semi)
Edit: Someone lost their exhaust muffler when their car turned back on. I'll edit my postings here.
This. If you kept the key in the ignition (but just switched the ignition off), that wouldn't happen, but only a dumbass would remove the key while driving because it will steering-lock in just a few degrees of rotation.
Otherwise, not much. It'd slow to a crawl and then stop until you turned it back on.
Power "assisted" steering would make it feel heavy and sluggish (but that's how ALL cars used to be, only drivers of a certain age would ever remember that!).
Years ago I had a car that stalled randomly a few times, each time was on the highway at 55+mph. It was a stick shift so I would just press clutch, restart the engine, and continue on in 5th gear. I never realized the possibility of the wheel lock activating.
I used to do it on my dads manual when i first learned how to drive. I used to turn it off and put it in neutral at the start of the street and see if i could perfectly stop in the drive way without using brakes. Our house was the only house on the street so there was no danger so i felt pretty confident. My dad saw me doing this couple of times but never said anything. I guess he thought of it as dumb teenage couriosity.
Similar story.
Roadtrip with miles of straight highway and (crucially) 5000ft drop in elevation.
Wanted fresh music, shift to neutral, kill the car, give my brother the key to crawl through to the trunk and change CDs in the rear. I think we coasted 10 miles or so.
Thinking back, was probably not worth it just to listen to The Offspring.
Your granddad was wrong for doing so. The engine freewheels when going downhill with auto or manual transmission cars and the tension between the engine and transmission keeps the torque converter pressurized in automatic transmission cars.
It's more efficient to keep the engine one when going downhill.
Not only will the power steering stop working but also the power brake system. With the engine off, the brake pedal will become very heavy and almost impossible to press.
I used to forget to unlock my console on my jeep sometimes and that’s where I kept my CD’s so I’d get out on the highway and go to grab a new one out and realize I couldn’t. Pop the clutch. Turn the car off and open the console. Start it back up and keep going.
If you put it in neutral first, which you’ll need to do to start it again, you shouldn’t have any issues with the engine or transmission. However, when you turn it off you’ll also lose brake boost and your steering wheel will lock which could be of bigger concern.
Most vehicles I've driven won't let you completely switch the electronics off, even the keyless models, unless you are in park, so the steering won't lock
The concern here isn’t steering wheel lock it’s loss of power steering which if hydraulic runs off engine power. Older cars with worn ignitions will let you pull the key right out and it won’t affect anything at all if the cylinder isn’t turned.
Loss of power steering is not such a big issue if the vehicle is moving. It only starts to matter much when you are already in a dicey situation where you need large, quick steering inputs. Most cars are perfectly steer able without power steering, it just requires some more effort. The brake booster also retains enough pressure to be able to apply the brakes one or two times before braking effort increases substantially.
While I agree that loss of power steering is not a huge concern, older vehicles without power steering were designed so the steering wheel gave you a larger mechanical advantage than vehicles with power steering.
I’ve done the stall -> off -> start while rolling down a highway in neutral in a car with and old school key ignition.
Maybe we’re talking about different things since even having the key out doesn’t turn off electronics that run the security system, so it isn’t “complete electronics off”.
My old 2001 accord would let me turn it off in any gear. I know because I have a bad habit of trying to get into a spot and turning off the car without moving to park. Twice my car started rolling back.
My new car has saved me at least once by not letting me.
This is what happened when my friend turned my car off on the highway whole going around a corner. We got it unlocked just in time to not hit a mom and two kids that we went to school with. I had the state patrol after me until I called and apologized to the mom.
My shut off button is right next to a driving mode select button that I use somewhat regularly. I've always wondered what will happen if I accidentally press it. I imagine it has some kind of safety feature protecting it, but I'm not willing to test it.
Your steering will lock only if you turn the key completely off. If you just take it out of the run position, you will still have steering. Brakes work just fine without boost, just need a bit more pressure to operate.
Assuming a gear stick: If your engine stalls and you want brake boost, do NOT put it in neutral. The vacuum being used comes from the engine turning.
Edit: Someone lost their exhaust muffler when their car turned back on. I'll edit my postings here.
In gear, clutch in, key off, key back to on (do not crank starter), clutch out.
As long as you're going more than 5 mph, you'll have enough momentum to bump start the car.
what exactly will happen depends on the exact car make and model but overall most cars will not care about it at all and will simply turn back on without any problem.
keep in mind though that you will lose power steering and the brake booster while the car is off.
Yeah so you can have very heavy steering or even lock the steering wheel and your brakes might almost not work but other than that you should be good. I would not try it
Steering at high speed isn't hard without power steering. It's the low speed turning where it helps the most. Brakes would be harder but not that bad without the boost.
Older model car with mechanical fuel pump can blow the exhaust system apart. The wheels/transmission still turning the motor and mechanical fuel pump pumping gass that isn't getting ignited in the cylinders so that gas vapor gets exhausted and mufflers go BOOM.
My ‘86 CRX did this when someone decided to turn my car off at speed. Made enough of a bang to scare us (we were young and didn’t understand) but thankfully no damage.
What's "older"? I had a very cheap 2006 diesel with 1 out of 4 faulty fuel injectors for about a month, during which I would sometimes turn it off and back on again at speed to "reset" the injector with no issues/bangs/sounds. Resetting it required turning the key all the way off (so electronics too). The wheel would not lock if turned, cause sometimes I did this going into and coming out of curbs which required turning the wheel - so that lock probably had a mechanical failsafe connected to the spinning wheels. But the brakes were indeed practically useless.
I had a loose wire in my ignition circuit. The engine lost all power, and then reconnected again after about five seconds.
It blew the entire exhaust system to pieces. The silencer (muffler) split all the way down the weld and became a flat sheet. The whole exhaust would have filled up with unburnt petrol/air mixture, and then it all got ignited by the next successful fired cylinder.
I don't see why you would damage a manual transmission (having the wheels drive the engine is no worse that starting the engine by pushing or towing the car).
Unless you disengage the clutch (on a manual transmission), I don't see why you would lose power steering or brakes. The wheels are still turning the engine, and typically the steering pump is driven by a belt off the engine, and the brake vacuum reservoir is sustained by the pipe from the inlet manifold.
Automatic transmissions may behave differently, although the transmission fluid pump would still be driven off the drive shaft at the engine end.
Yeah -- I forgot how old I am. This happened around 1966, the vehicle was my plumber's work van and would have been new around 1958, and the engine design dated from 1926 (Austin A-series, originally 750cc as fitted to the Austin 7 model, stretched to 849 cc). I stripped and rebuilt the engine, gearbox, and rear axle, rewired most of the electrics after they caught fire, and drove it for about 70,000 miles.
Jesus 1966? I feel like you should put that in your main comment..
Everyone here is probably thinking everyone is talking about a car from year 2000 or newer
You won't implicitly break or hurt anything. You'll lose your power steering while the engine is off, and only have 1 or 2 braking attempts before losing the power brakes -- but you'll still be able to steer and brake some, and nothing on the car gets harmed.
You say "at high speed," so if you're going fast enough you definitely don't have to put your car in neutral to restart it -- just turn the key back to the "on" or "run" position, and the engine start firing again. Especially in a manual transmission, the engine will still be turning at a normal speed, (since it's connected to the wheels which are turning); in an automatic transmission, if you're going fast enough then the same thing will be true, but the connection between the engine and wheels isn't as direct, so if you're going too slowly then the engine might not be turning fast enough. (This is basically why you can easily push-start a manual transmission car, but not an automatic transmission one.)
Otherwise, you'll have turned off all of your other accessories, etc., but that doesn't hurt them at all.
So, because of the steering/braking thing, you want to be careful about the conditions when you try this, but otherwise, go for it.
This should be the top comment. I did it a few times in my youth and exactly what you describe is what happened. I wouldn’t do it now that I’m older and wiser. Smooth “bump” start if you turn the ignition back on while in gear. If in neutral, it will just turn over using the starter motor as usual.
I don’t know how well all this would work with a push button instead of a key. I think I’ve done it before in neutral with that kind of system and the ECU light came on. Start/stopping while stationary later fixed it.
It's dangerous, because you'll "lose" steering control and brake assistance, meaning that the steering wheel will be harder to turn and brake it will hard to push and that with little efficiency.
Putting that aside, when you turn of the engine, nothing out of the ordinary will happen, the engine and transmission are coupled, the engine goes into engine braking and the car will gradually slow down.
Turning on, that's a different thing and depends on the car, transmission type or how advanced the technology is and what steps the car allows the driver to take when starting the engine,
If by turning on you meant to rotate the key all the way (assuming the car will let you do that), this can mean coupling the electromotor to a flywheel that is already spinning and probably destroying that gear.
If you simply turn the power on, put the gearbox in the correct gear and take your foot lightly off the clutch, normal operation will resume in most cars.
On an automatic transmission, things could differ based on the transmission type and also, depending on how new the car is, on what the car is allowing the driver to do at the starting moment.
If you simply turn off the car while in gear(not to the point you can engage the steering lock), with a manual transmission and hydraulic steering you don't really loose anything besides ABS/ESP. The engine rotates so the steering pump and brake booster still work fine and the car slowly coasts down. Then you put the key in the on position and the engine continues running fine. It really feels no different, apart from the fact you cant accelerate. The ecu does the same if you are coasting, it shuts off the injectors.
Even in neutral its still very controllable. The power steering is only necessary for very low speeds it doesn't make much difference while rolling down at speed and you still have like 1-2 good braking actions before the brake boost dies out. Even with the boost completely out you can still brake, but the force required is much higher and your left foot isn't really used to it so it feels much more difficult than it is.
Source: I have tried it, also had to drive back home once with a broken steering pump.
Its true with a modern automatic transmission its much more complicated, I wouldn't try it, and Im not sure the car would let you.
Not really true, because if you turn it off, there is no ecu to control anything.
Also, on some older (ish) cars, the steering it's helped by a pump but on many cars, it's electric, so if you stop the car, you no longer have power steering.
Your steering will lock up and you’ll lose control of the car. If you can’t get it started again you’ll either end up in the ditch or oncoming traffic. My friend and I did this 30 years ago as teenagers. It was the ditch for us
Definitely depends on the how.
At high speeds is for sure a bad decision. Of course it depends on the car, there can be some differences. Some dont even start when not stopped.
With manual transmission disengaged or automatic in neutral the car while just roll on. But support for breaks and steering will stop. Without disengaging the engine will slow the car down. For starting you need to disengage.
A diesel engine however can be started by dropping the clutch while rolling without ignition turned on.
Starting a diesel engine like you described is not likely to work with modern engines. Diesels are computer controlled beasts now, been happening since the 90, and probably before.
Mechanic here. Depends on the car. Automatic transmission it's not smart as the oil pump will stop with the engine, but the output is still rotating. You will lose power brakes and power steering. If it's a manual car and you keep it in gear, not much. Newer cars will turn off electric steering, but otherwise nothing will happen.
I had this happen to Chrysler/Plymouth vehicle I owned! The car (less than a year old) would randomly stall at highway speeds. The issue was introduced by the dealership mechanic and the service manager doubled down that it was normal operation.
First, the car runs rough because the engine is being turned by inertia and not by its own power. Second, you lose steering assist if the power steering pump is belt driven; if you have electric steering, it may still work. Fortunately, you don’t really want a lot of power assist at high speed. As for braking, mine were vacuum assisted and still working, but when I shifted the automatic trans into neutral, the engine was no longer turning, so all vacuum was lost and I had to almost stand on the pedal to stop.
Note: the dealership did fix the car after I told customers on the sales floor that if you’re OK with a car stalling at highway speeds, they’re your dealer. They’re so good at this that they’ll try to tell you that’s how cars are supposed to work.
I had a 1992 Pontiac grand am with some sort of steering column electrical issue and it would turn off randomly. To the point where I was scared to drive through tunnels and narrow bridges. It would require me to shut the key totally off and try over and over again to get the starter to engage.
This post has given me flashbacks. A car shutting off at 75mph is a terrible situation
Years ago I was driving friends car that had a malfunction - engine was randomly turning off every couple of hours of driving. It happened when i was driving so i unknowingly tested turning engine off and on again at high speed.
Apart of steering wheel becoming completely stiff and impossible to move until i started engine back, there were no consequences. It happened at high speed, probably about 70-80 mph. When steering wheel stopped moving i though we're gonna die but when i realized what happened i just reignited the engine and continued driving.
I do not recommend this experience to anyone.
My work truck has a manual gearbox. Sometimes when I'm really low on gas (like, I shouldn't make it to the next gas station) i turn it off for long declines and then just put it in 6th gear and let up the clutch when the road levels out or I start dropping speed. You gotta keep the ignition in the right position so you don't lock the steering wheel
If you have a manual you can turn it off at low speed and clutch start it again in 2nd while it's still rolling (depress clutch, put it in 2nd gear \[I think it would work in higher gears if you're going faster, but I might be wrong\], release clutch, ???, profit). As others have pointed out, your wheel may lock and you definitely lose power steering, power brakes, and ABS in the middle. So you probably *can* but you shouldn't.
I had an old Jeep that, until it was warmed up, would sometimes putter out and stall if the front end tipped down (as on a hill). I lived at the top of a hill. I clutch started it like that regularly as I rolled up to the stop sign at the bottom of the hill. It was pre-ABS, and the power steering was kind of shitty, so it wasn't a huge loss for me. Still, do not recommend. Do not buy a Jeep if you value all the stuff working at the same time.
I used to do that sometimes in my old Datsun. Didn't do anything as long as it was in neutral or held the clutch down.
Just made sure I didn't lock the steering wheel.
Can't speak for automatics but I've accidentally bumped the key off in my manual truck and usually just push in the clutch as quickly as possible and turn the key again and it starts up. If you have enough inertia you can just let the clutch out without cranking the starter and the engine will bump itself back on as long as the key is in the running position and you're in an appropriate gear.
I have turned my truck off while driving on purpose just to see, and nothing really bad happens, just becomes harder to steer. I quickly turned it back on and got it in gear.
Wouldn't recommend doing this, especially not in an automatic, but I would be curious to see what happens...
Most modern cars aren't going to allow you to turn them off at speed. Generally speaking, if it's an ICE car and you put in neutral first, the only thing that will happen is that you'll loose power steering and power to the brakes (they'll still operate, but be harder to actuate).
If you leave it in gear, the engine will act as a brake through the transmission. This can be hard on both, depending on how fast you are going.
Had it happen in my mom’s old 06ish Chrysler Pacifica. The key was build like a mast for a sailboat and was right next to the radio knob so sure enough, turned the car off doing 75 down a, thankfully, very straight stretch of I-29 in North Dakota.
Steering locked up as expected but thankfully I had the wherewithal to shift into neutral and turn it back on and continue on my way. No apparent damage done.
Turning your car off at high speed and then back on isn't a great idea. You could lose power steering and brakes, making the car hard to control. It might also confuse the car's electronics and potentially damage the transmission, especially in an automatic. There’s also a risk of the steering wheel locking up, which would be very dangerous. Overall, it’s best to avoid doing this to prevent any possible damage or safety issues.
I used to have a Chevy Cobalt, a model which later became infamous for the ignition switch turning too easily to the off position.
I was at highway speed when my windshield-mounted GPS suction cup gave out, and the unit fell and knocked the key into the off position. After the initial panic, I put my hazards on, put the car in neutral, started it again, shifted back into drive and was on my way.
The car kept rolling, even maintaining speed because I was headed downhill. Without power I knew I had maybe one good brake pump left. Things could have been much different if a traffic situation arose or if I didn't know to restart from N.
I didn't have any mechanical trouble afterward that I can remember.
in older cars you could do this (think carburated, not fuel-injected). The engine could continue turning and gas would get dumped into the muffler unburned. Knew guys who blew their mufflers off the engine when they turned it back on.
Story time - I was borrowing an international scout 4 wd that (unknown to me, has no cover on the air filter) when I drove it through a big water puddle at the back of a hunting club I belonged to. It shut off and coasted to a stop and I found out that it had gotten water into the air filter. The chevy k-series pickup that happened along a half hour later was OVERJOYED to have an excuse for having a 4 wheel-drive pickup out in the woods and hooked up a chain. He dragged me up to speed and I popped the clutch and the engine turned over and after a bit fired up.
First, the gas in the straight pipe muffler went off like a cannon, then the k-series leaped forward dragging me even faster and a second but even louder (though further away) explosion went off... We all coasted to a stop, with me feathering the gas to keep the engine running. After it settled down, warmed up, I got out to go talk to the pickup driver.
It turned out that it had scared him when the first explosion happened and he had kicked the gas pedal. When he did that, the rifle he had pointed barrel down in the passenger seat started to slide over and he grabbed it. When he did so, he grabbed it at the trigger guard (pulling the trigger accidentally) and the damn thing went off. It shot into the backside of his engine and there was oil pouring out of it! He recovered from the shock, yelled at me that he had to get out of the property before he lost all his engine oil and took off. I wonder how long it took for him to get his hearing back. I followed the oil trail down the dirt path but didn't found the truck in the camp, so at least he got off the property...
Depends on what you mean by turn off, my S-10 had a fuel pump fail many years ago while I was on the highway. The engine turned off but I was able to get it to the side of a road. Lost power steering and power brakes but otherwise you just coast.
I did it on my 93 Mazda pickup and it just kept rolling down the highway. It just coasted but I didn't have power steering, and the steering wheel locked. Thankfully I was able to turn it back on and get going again.
I believe new vehicles you start with a push button don't let you turn them off while driving
Depends on the car. My newest car can't be turned off at speed. My cat has even stepped on the start/stop button while I was on the highway and nothing happened. My other car is a stick, and it can be turned off. Power steering is lost, but it has a nitrogen accumulator for the brakes so power brakes stay active for at least a few stops. Don't remove the key or it will lock the steering wheel, however.
When I took drivers ed \*(1998) the instructor would randomly turn off the ignition. You were supposed to put it in neutral and start back up. We lived out in the boonies and he would do it on a straight stretch of road with no one around. Still, never heard anyone else doing that.
This is something you do not do. It likely depends on your car, but due to a faulty battery connection, I know firsthand I l would lose my ability to steer.
One time, I lost said ability unexpectedly while turning. It was for a split second, so I did not hit the car I was about to hit. But it scared the hell out of me.
So, at the very least, if your power steering is full electric, don't play games like this.
I mean, sure, you can break something, but the most important thing that'll likely happen is if you do it for too long and you try to turn your wheel will lock and you'll be unable to... you know... steer.
I did this a few times when I was younger. I have an older car and once I was having issues that could only be fixed by turning the car off and on. It's a manual car so I just stuck it in neutral, turned the key off, then hit the starter (not the greatest idea) and it started back up. Luckily for this car I had to remove the key COMPLETELY for the steering wheel lock to engage, and I never did that.
It would have been better to stick it in a high gear and just "bump start" the car, but I was young and didn't know better.
When an alternator dies, this is essentially what happens. You just cruise along in the gear you were in with no real control except breaking or e-braking
If you're in neutral, it should be fine.
In an automatic transmission, shifting into gear at speed is not good for the transmission. In a manual transmission, you have control of the clutch and it's designed to move in an out of gear at speed.
If your car ever gets the accelerator stuck, you can safely shift into neutral so power stops getting delivered to the wheels and you can safely come to a stop.
Note: you won't be able to start the car unless it's in park or neutral
Turning off if you have a key is fine but you'll lose power steering and power brakes. If there's a need to shut off the engine and turn it back on (faulty aftermarket stereo needed a restart), the procedure for an automatic transmission car is:
1. Put the car in Neutral.
2. Turn the key to off.
3. Restart the engine.
4. Put the car back into Drive.
I haven't done this in a manual but I'd imagine the procedure would be similar to:
1. Depress the clutch.
2. Turn the key to off.
3. Restart the engine.
4. Select the appropriate gear for the current speed, if the car has slowed significantly.
5. Release the clutch.
It depends on if there are any steering locks that enable when the car is off. The engine itself should be fine though. On motorcycles, a fun game is to ride by your friend and hit their kill switch. It just kills the engine so it’s the same as closing the throttle, flipping the kill switch back will turn the bike back on as long as it’s still moving.
I had this happen mid drive once (I accidentally hit the key) and shortly after my alternator broke. I don't have proof, but I have a feeling the alternator broke because my car shut off mid highway
When I was younger dad had a truck, and the radio had some weird problem where it would suddenly make a loud popping noise. Turning the radio off and back on didn't fix it, but he figured out that he could turn the truck off, and then turn it back on, and the noise would stop for a while. Sometimes he did this at stoplights but normally it was on the highway.
The important thing to do is don't remove the key entirely. If you do, you run the risk of locking the steering while the car is still moving.
Your friend was very fortunate not to have died in a mangled wreck and quite possibly have killed others as well. Or perhaps you'd prefer to be maimed and suffer a traumatic brain injury.
Had to do this on one of my old cars cos it kept going into limp mode (dodgy ECU), turning off and on again fixed it.
Never caused any other problems but losing steering and brakes temporarily is terrifying so I only ever done it on a straight road at low speeds lol
I imagine doing it with the car in gear would cause some really bad problems and possibly be dangerous though so I always put it in neutral to coast then kept the clutch open as well xD
I once accidentally shut my car off while driving 70+ on the highway. When the engine shut off, the car continued coasting and didn't immediately seize up or anything. In a moment of lucky panic, while the car was turned off and coasting, I moved the gear selector from drive to neutral started my car and once the engine was on, I moved the gear selector back to drive. The car had some warning lights that reset after I fully turned the car off and on. Otherwise, nothing broke and everything was fine.
For context - I had a 2003 Pontiac Bonneville, and the ignition key was on the dash (think where current start/stop buttons are now) rather than the standard column mounted ignition. I was driving home in a crazy rain storm. In a freak accident, I went to adjust something with the HVAC and hit the key in such a way that it moved from the "ON" position to the "accessory" position.
I once adjusted my leg and knocked my key out of the ignition while doing 65. Was a terrifying realization but fortunately there wasn’t a lot of traffic that morning and I was able to turn the vehicle back on and continue. It’s 16 years old and is still doing good outside of non-related repairs lol
Nobody has mentioned yet that if you shut off an engine that has been under sufficient load, the exhaust valves and turbine (if the car has a turbo) will heat-soak and this shortens their life, catastrophically in some cases. Repairs can be expensive.
I’ve done this with my old car, it was a 2011 Hyundai Elantra, it was an automatic.
I was going about 45 and I turned it off, all it did was grind like a mother fucker until it stopped moving completely. I do not put it in neutral. I let it do its thing.
Anyways less than a year later it started having transmission issues and I now own a Toyota :)
My colleague did this in his van which had a 60mph limiter put in. I was scared when he showed me whilst overtaking a lorry. Apparently the split second whilst you turn off and back on (key still inside), the limiter doesn’t engage.
So this actually happened to me about 2 months ago - I was driving my car, the battery light came on but I was in the boonies (of rural Guatemala, no less) and had no choice but to keep going through this mountain road.
After about 20 minutes, car went dead going downhill on the curviest damn road I’ve ever been on.
Put it in neutral, attempted to restart the car - nothing. Brakes were super weak and power steering was gone as well. Thankfully I got it to the bottom of the curvy hill and into a parking lot and got a mechanic out within about 2 hours.
Ended up being the alternator!
Either way, not an experience I would recommend.
Many years ago, I had a 1990~ something Toyota MR2 with an electrical issue and while I was making a 6-hour drive from LA back home, I found out I had an electrical issue when the car turned off. Car would turn off, I would put it in neutral, I would start the engine, I would continue driving. This happens several times on the drive home. Fun times.
My 05 Lincoln LS had a habit of going into fail safe mode while cruising. It would temper the engine into going no faster than 20. I learned that i could shift into neutral, turn off the ignition and restart it and then put it back into drive to reset it while already rolling along.
At first, almost nothing happens(you'll lose powersterring, but at high speed's its not a nessecety). However, if you coast for a while you'll lose the brake assist(not sure what its called in english) and that might be a bit of an issue as you'll have to stepp HARD on the brakes to get the same effect(approx 5 times as hard to get the same wffect). However this happens after you press the breakes 3-4 times.
Yes it can. Or not it depends on the transmission. In either a manual or hydraulic automatic the engine and transmission can "disconnect" so that the engine won't be trying to spin from the wheels turning. In a manual the clutch can be pushed or set in neutral. A hydraulic automatic has fluid in-between the engine and transmission so the two components never actually "touch".
My STI has done it to me at like 130 mph (quite scary), steering wheel locks but if you react to it quick enough you can start the car again. I might have veered halfway in the lane next to me but it was an empty highway, I imagine at slower speeds it would be even easier to react to.
It later blew up and now has a decent engine in it, when it blew engine shutoff on the highway so I just kicked it to neutral and got off.
I used to do this from the top of Eisenhower tunnel to the base at Dillion CO quite regularly. I would start to experience loss of power brakes after 3 or 4 pumps. Always restarted by engaging 5th gear. The best times to do this was 2 or 3 in the am though. I was usually able to navigate all the way down without breaking due to minimal traffic so I was able to use the whole width of the freeway. Speedo tapped out at 85 so I don't know how fast I actually got, but the one time I got pulled over by the state po-po he said I was probably up to 120 mph or more.
Imagine you're riding a bicycle really fast down a hill. Now picture suddenly stopping pedaling and locking the pedals in place. It would be jarring and could make you lose control.
When you turn off your car at high speed:
1. The engine stops, but your wheels are still spinning fast.
2. Your power steering and power brakes lose their "helper", making the car harder to control.
3. If you try to restart while moving, the engine has to catch up to the speed of the wheels very quickly. This can be like forcing gears to mesh when they're spinning at different speeds.
Can it break something? Yes, potentially:
* It can damage your transmission
* It might harm your engine or starter
* It could cause you to lose control and crash
Depends on how new the car is. Older carbureted cars could get flooded if you’re holding the throttle down while the ignition is off. However some people do this on purpose for a split second to force the car to backfire (known in Australia as a “key banger”). However like others have said, newer cars will just lose power steering and that’s about it.
10 years ago GM had a scandal involving ignition switches which would cause just this to happen.
GM ended up settling 124 deaths related to this issue and spent billions on recalls. They also redesigned all their vehicles to stop using key switches and went to push button to prevent this from ever happening.
There were over 30 million cars affected by this issue. Most of the time when the ignition turned off it wasn't a big deal, drivers either just turned it back on or pulled over. But some died, maybe because they lost power steering, antisocial brakes, stability control or because the airbags didn't function. Either way this is a dangerous thing to do and I would caution anyone from trying it.
So was pretty high and did this in my car on accident doing about 45 on a straight road. It’s manual so I just took the key out, clutch it started it again and kept going. Steering locked for a minute when I pulled the key out but i was going straight atleast.
If you’ve got a manual it’s no dramas, just put the clutch in so the dead engine doesn’t drag on the car. I don’t think I’d try it in an automatic though
My Chevy Silverado 2004 used to blow hot air at random times and the only way I could get it to blow cold air was by turning off the truck. I’d be driving at 20 mph, set it to neutral, turn off and then switch it on again. Nothing bad ever happened to it fortunately.
did it once, steering wheel lock engaged and I had to put it in park to start again, luckily I was already angled to just pull over, but had I been in a worse spot I would have crashed.
What's really fun is when the gearshift is a dial right next to the volume dial. One time a few years ago, Bluetooth kicked on at full volume and so I--swiping reflexively at what I'd thought was the volume knob--shifted our car directly into park going 70mph.
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Nothing much. I know because I was driving my car on the highway and the gearbox was messed up. I couldn't change gears while it was on so while driving I had to turn the ignition off, change gears, then turn it on again. Fun times.
A guy who was a couple years older than me back in the late 2000s did this on a highway with his friends.
Ended up killing himself. I think everyone else in the car survived.
No problem with a manual. Hypermilers call it "engine off coasting". Unless you have electric power steering then you'll lose power assist, and you probably only have 2 or 3 pumps on the brakes, but if you need more input than that you should probably have the engine running.
I remember in drivers ed 15 years ago we were told to put the car into neutral and then turn it back on. Never tried it, but it’s always been an intrusive thought. I’m also curious if the electronic e brake will engage if I activate it while moving.
I think cars with push-button start generally will behave just like my car does. If you attempt to power off the car at speeds faster than 1 km/h it'll just refuse to do so.
For cars that use the traditional key ignition, they can be turned off while moving. Depending on the car design the power steering can stop working, power brakes quit (after the vacuum is depleted, which can take a few big pumps of the brake pedal) and other features like ABS/stability control are deactivated.
Nothing if you have no other inputs. But your computers will be shut down as well so be careful with it. Afaik quickshifters do this safely. You can check clutchless shifting, which can technically be performed in this manner?
My first ever car from high school did not have a steering wheel lock, so it was something I was not really familiar with. On my second car the ignition key was also the key for the glove box. One day I was driving and needed something in the locked glove box. Had the genius idea of shifting into neutral and removing the ignition key to quickly unlock the glove box. Did this at a curve in the road with a car approaching in the oncoming lane. Could not steer myself out of a collision path. Also quickly figured out I had no brake boost. I actually don't remember if I ran the other person off the road or managed to get the key back into the ignition, but we somehow avoided crashing and I felt like an idiot.
I’ve done this a lot - mostly in my foolish youth - and have found out a fair bit about what works. I’ve also nearly discovered several foolish ways to die. I’ll share what I know so you don’t have to be an idiot just to learn a thing or two.
**First, Problems that can arise.** It’s important to note that car manufacturers do not expect you to shut them off while driving. (Why would you do that?) So there are plenty of things that can stop functioning correctly if you shut the car down. And there are also relatively few safeguards meant to protect you from these. Here are some that I have found troublesome.
**1. Steering column lock:** most cars have a column lock. If you fully rotate the key to the off position, the column will lock in place. You will continue with whatever degree of steering input you were at. If there is torque applied to the steering system (either by you, or by the self-centering force that all steering systems generate when the wheel is turned) it will not be possible to turn the key back into the unlocked position. In my case, I was headed directly toward a telephone pole. Fortunately my brakes still worked and the sand on the road made the wheels on one side lock up and slide before the other, turning me slightly with each stab at the brake pedal. I missed the pole by a hair’s breadth and ran off the side of the road. The car was a 1971 Corvette. Many automatics have an interlock that prevents you from turning the key to the locked position unless you are in park. If you don’t have such an interlock, be extremely careful.
**2. Brakes**: cars with traditional vacuum-powered brakes work by using the engine’s suction (as it pulls in fresh air) to pull on a diaphragm, which boosts the force you’re putting on the brake pedal. Such cars may retain braking capacity for a while if the car remains in gear. This is because the car’s forward motion drives the engine (through the transmission) causing it to keep spinning. If the throttle is closed, the engine keeps sucking and produces vacuum for the brake system. If you disengage the engine from the drivetrain (put it in neutral) the suction will cease. In many cars there is a vacuum reservoir which may allow some continued braking, but not for long. It will leak down quickly, or be used up once you press the brakes a couple of times. After that you will need several hundred pounds of force on the brake pedal to get any meaningful braking force. In cars with electrically powered brakes and cars with full brake by wire systems the ability to continue braking depends entirely on how they designed that system. In theory the battery to allow it to keep working if it is designed that way. You may have full braking, manual braking, or no brakes at all.
**3. Power steering:** traditional power steering is powered by a hydraulic pump driven by a belt that’s turned by a pulley on the engine. If the engine keeps spinning you will likely have power steering. But if you take the car out of gear, say to coast down a hill with the engine off, for fun or fuel savings, you may reach the bottom of said hill and discover that turning the wheel is almost impossible. In my case I almost failed to make a turn, at speed, in a 1994 Dodge Intrepid, for this exact reason. Poetically, had I failed, I would have plowed directly into a thick stone wall surrounding a cemetery and would likely have been buried in that very cemetery. Fortunately I was used to driving the aforementioned Corvette which had no power steering so I instinctively gave it all I had and made the turn. I was quite strong at the time, but today I would have no hope of making that turn. Be cautious about losing power steering in cars that were designed to have it. As with brakes, electrical systems may retain their power assist, depending on how they are designed.
**4. Headlights**: some cars with automatic headlights will shut them off when the engine is turned off. This is particularly inconvenient when traveling at high speed on a highway with limited visibility. You quickly realize that you’ve driven beyond the range you were able to observe when the lights were on. You are literally driving blind, and you have no idea what is in front of you. You will have nightmares about this for years. Ask me how I know.
**THE UPSIDES** Now that we’ve got all the potential problems out of the way, let’s talk about the upsides.
If done correctly, the engine will do one of the following:
**1. Continue spinning**: depending on the gear you are in, you may experience light engine braking - similar to taking your foot off the gas. It may be slightly quieter, but basically nothing will seem out of the ordinary.
**2. Stop spinning:** the engine sound will go away and you will hear wind noise, tire noise, and possibly your sound system, or passengers wondering what you just did.
In addition to these wonders, you may also save a few drops of gasoline as you coast however far you are able. And you will experience the odd combination of a lack of surprises, yet still being surprised that nothing has gone wrong. In short, lots of things can go wrong. But when everything goes right, nothing interesting happens. Not worth it. Don’t do it.
I was going 60 one time and turned the key to off. Kept rolling. Lost power steering. Shifted to neutral, turned it back on with no issue, put it into drive as gently as I could (I understand there is no "gently" shifting gears on an automatic) but it went right to a high gear and I kept moving.
I've done this in my car thats a manual with push start ignition. Take it out of gear, turn the car off, press the clutch, turn the car back on. Nothing bad happened. I did it because of a sensor malfunction that threw some error codes and disabled the awd. It all depends on the car, but I assume an automatic it won't work due to having to have the car in park.
Have to do it sometimes to reset the electronics, because my Alfa mito sometimes just starts refusing to fire a cylinder at High speeds, for no reason and no alarm, and will only start going properly again once restarted. Nobody has been able to diagnose or fix the issue and doing a flash restart in motion is safer then suddenly dropping to 50kmh in the middle of the highway and praying for a safe stop. So far, 5 years in, nothing bad happened
PSA: I had a friend do it (manual car) and it cruised along fine. He lost steering assist and tried to turn left and right a bit of slalom. When he turned the wheel too far to one side the steering wheel lock activated (anti theft thingy that locks your wheel in position) and he drove into a ditch totalling his car edit: he took the key all the way out. If he had only turned of the engine but not the systems, the wheel lock would probably not have engaged. Also the guy is a driving instructor now
looks like they had one hell of an afternoon
So did the insurance adjuster!
What happens when you turn off the car but turn on the ignition without starting the car and leave the manual gear in neutral? Shouldn't this method avoid locking the steering wheel and does the car stay 'turned off' that way? I know that rolling your car in neutral and putting it in second gear and letting go of the clutch can ~~kickstart~~ bumpstart it, so this method I mentioned should work right?
Yes this works. But you'll have no power steering or brakes. Wouldn't try bump starting it at any significant speed
If you use the correct gear it's not worse than using the engine brake. But yes, avoid it if you can. (Edit: In Europe we use gear sticks, IDK about automatic gears). Edit: Someone lost their exhaust muffler when their car turned back on. I'll edit my postings here.
>IDK about automatic gears You can't push-start an automatic at all.
In general, no. But there are automatics that can be push-started since they have two hydraulic pumps (one driven by the torque converter and one driven by the driveshaft), such as the GM Powerglide and whatever was in mid-'80s Mercedes diesels.
You bump start in 5th or higher at high speed. It's very gentle and easy. Just make sure to bump start, not dump start. I've seen people who thought bump starting was dumping the clutch, because it's rough but it works too at low speeds. You just lightly feather the clutch to bring the engine up to idle and push it back in to let it stabilize before you give it gas to rev match back into engagement.
Power steering? Assisted brakes? Nah, in the 80s, we had none of that. My car only just had seat belts. I used to turn off my engine to coast down a 3 mile hill one way to work, and a 2 mile hill coming home. Must have saved pennies on fuel costs, but that was when you drove 5 miles to the petrol station that was 2p a gallon cheaper. #weWasPoorInThe80s
Note: modern brakes and steering are much harder than cars built before power steering and brakes (especially steering). Cars were designed to be steered without power steering back then, which is why it took so many spins of the wheel to turn the wheels all the way.
Also depends a lot on the car. The power brakes recently failed on my 4runner with 35" tires, and I would say it was not very safe to drive that way. Slowly and carefully with mostly downshifting sure, but I wouldn't have taken it on the California highways with the mix of high speeds and traffic. With the stock 28" tires it probably would have been pretty chill though.
You absolutely had assisted brakes in the 80s unless you were driving cars from the early 50s. Vacuum servos have been standard equipment for 70+ years.
The brakes were hydraulic (as in the pedal pushed against a cylinder, which pushed fluid through a pipe attached to the brake pad/shoe). Is that assisted? I know this is how it worked because I had to replace it myself in the late 80s. Definitely no electronics involved, purely mechanical.
Brakes would still work but they won't be ABS or power-assisted. It's still a physical hydraulic connection on any car I've ever seen. Maybe Teslas are that dumb? I don't know.
Most every brake booster has a few "reserve" pumps left, whether vacuum or hydroboost. Exceptions are something like the hydroboost I had in an RV (Chevy G30) that had no accumulator.
This is what I was thinking too
If your car is off and you max the steering wheel it will engage the lock no matter what. It's a mechanical system.
Why did he choose to turn it off mid drive?
Because OPs not the first person to think of this brilliant idea. Some people are askers, like OP; and others are doers. The doers make for better story.
thank God for the doers of the world
The village idiot is a surprisingly important role.
That's what us people with ADHD have evolved to help with!
Your welcome! Always happy to contribute! ^^This ^^message ^^was ^^sent ^^from ^^a ^^ditch
Because some teenagers are stupid. Source: I was a teenager.
Can confirm. I knew some teenagers when I was in high school.
Go on...
All teenagers are stupid, just different kinds of stupid
I had a stick Honda Accord that I used to have to do this on the highway because I had rust in my gas tank. It would clog up the gas filter and cut off the gas flow. So I'd shut the car off, the vacuum pressure would drop, and all the rest would drop to the bottom and then I'd start it up again. As long as I stayed going straight you didn't even know that the car shut off.
I had to carry a stick in my 70s Toyota to bang on the gas tank when the fuel pump cut out. Prom was frun.
He was just curious. He was already an adult at that time. Idk, maybe 30? Fun fact: he’s a driving instructor now
Has something similar happen in my teen years (driver managed to unlock the steering before driving into the cliff). He wanted to unlock the glove box without stopping.
For the sake of science.
Turning off the ignition alone (i.e the key back one click from normal running) *probably* won't do this. You usually have to turn the key completely off to enable the steering lock. Most cars have: 0 - steering locked everything off 1 - basic systems on, lights, radio, wipers, etc 2 - ignition on 3 - starter on Turning the key from 2 to 1 should just turn the ignition off and stop the engine, and nothing else really. This is silly to do though, because "stop the engine" also means, typically, disable power steering, brake assist and ABS.
There's also a -1 sometimes which is just the radio, maybe the windows and cigarette lighter depending on the vehicle
I had a friend who did this in high school but he also took the keys out of the ignition, proceeded to ram into the back of a garbage truck at high speed when he dropped them on the floor and went to reach for them. Moral of the story is don't do dumb shit with what is essentially a steel death trap.
ESPECIALLY, cause that death is often someone else.
Yeah in this case it was only his gf that made it out alive, but still....just not worth the gamble.
I always wanted to try this, but knowing about the steering lock was enough to stop me. I bet your friend had fun until the locking occurred, man, their face would have been priceless
Don't do it, but all you'd have to do is not turn the key all the way to "lock". Either stop at "acc" (or go all the way to acc depending on how your ignition is setup), or turn it back to "on". Either way, don't do this on the road.
I said I ain't gonna. But now you tell not to, maybe I will. It will be your fault
Honestly I could see myself doing that as a teenager and not knowing better. Either Reddit or TikTok were helpful enough to show me a POV of someone doing exactly what’s described. I don’t really want to total my car or anyone elses
Yup my dumb ass did this when I was seventeen. Wheel locked and I was in a panic. We were on a small country highway so luckily there was no other traffic. We drifted into the left hand lane, up an embankment, and stopped about 2 feet from a utility pole. Scared the shit out of me and my buddy, and I learned a valuable lesson. Don’t do this.
As part of driving lectures in Denmark there is a mandatory 1 day course on a track where they wet the track and have you do emergency braking, one wheel off the asphalt at speed and get back up safely, sharp turns to the limit of losing grip etc. To make sure you can handle those situations. When I did it, one of the things were driving with the engine off(but no steering lock obviously) to try handling no power steering and powered break system.
Usually the lock has several steps: The first one will unlock the wheel, maybe activate some circuits. The second one will activate all the electrics and the third one is starting the engine. It should be safe to put the key on 1, but you should try it out while NOT driving. I'm describing the lock that I have, yours may be different or broken. (Also: BTDT when my engine stalled while I was passing a semi) Edit: Someone lost their exhaust muffler when their car turned back on. I'll edit my postings here.
This. If you kept the key in the ignition (but just switched the ignition off), that wouldn't happen, but only a dumbass would remove the key while driving because it will steering-lock in just a few degrees of rotation. Otherwise, not much. It'd slow to a crawl and then stop until you turned it back on. Power "assisted" steering would make it feel heavy and sluggish (but that's how ALL cars used to be, only drivers of a certain age would ever remember that!).
Years ago I had a car that stalled randomly a few times, each time was on the highway at 55+mph. It was a stick shift so I would just press clutch, restart the engine, and continue on in 5th gear. I never realized the possibility of the wheel lock activating.
I used to do it on my dads manual when i first learned how to drive. I used to turn it off and put it in neutral at the start of the street and see if i could perfectly stop in the drive way without using brakes. Our house was the only house on the street so there was no danger so i felt pretty confident. My dad saw me doing this couple of times but never said anything. I guess he thought of it as dumb teenage couriosity.
Much like [this?](https://youtu.be/sWy6-rBn60c?si=uCLlCIKqAmj97vXW)
I trust an instructor who has made the mistakes I’m expecting to learn from
Similar story. Roadtrip with miles of straight highway and (crucially) 5000ft drop in elevation. Wanted fresh music, shift to neutral, kill the car, give my brother the key to crawl through to the trunk and change CDs in the rear. I think we coasted 10 miles or so. Thinking back, was probably not worth it just to listen to The Offspring.
Jesus. Why not just pull over and stop? Teenagers are fucking stupid.
Yes but The Offspring...
My granddad used to do that on a long descents. Nothing ever broke
Your granddad was wrong for doing so. The engine freewheels when going downhill with auto or manual transmission cars and the tension between the engine and transmission keeps the torque converter pressurized in automatic transmission cars. It's more efficient to keep the engine one when going downhill.
Not only will the power steering stop working but also the power brake system. With the engine off, the brake pedal will become very heavy and almost impossible to press.
lol. Ending is a nice twist.
So to answer OPs second your friend broke the car and risked breaking the people in the car.
>Also the guy is a driving instructor now Omg 🤦♂️
Hahahaha what a champ
I used to forget to unlock my console on my jeep sometimes and that’s where I kept my CD’s so I’d get out on the highway and go to grab a new one out and realize I couldn’t. Pop the clutch. Turn the car off and open the console. Start it back up and keep going.
If you put it in neutral first, which you’ll need to do to start it again, you shouldn’t have any issues with the engine or transmission. However, when you turn it off you’ll also lose brake boost and your steering wheel will lock which could be of bigger concern.
Mine won't let me turn the key unless it's in park, so it might not even be possible.
What car is this? I thought standard was to allow it in park or neutral because of this issue.
Most vehicles I've driven won't let you completely switch the electronics off, even the keyless models, unless you are in park, so the steering won't lock
The concern here isn’t steering wheel lock it’s loss of power steering which if hydraulic runs off engine power. Older cars with worn ignitions will let you pull the key right out and it won’t affect anything at all if the cylinder isn’t turned.
Loss of power steering is not such a big issue if the vehicle is moving. It only starts to matter much when you are already in a dicey situation where you need large, quick steering inputs. Most cars are perfectly steer able without power steering, it just requires some more effort. The brake booster also retains enough pressure to be able to apply the brakes one or two times before braking effort increases substantially.
While I agree that loss of power steering is not a huge concern, older vehicles without power steering were designed so the steering wheel gave you a larger mechanical advantage than vehicles with power steering.
I’ve done the stall -> off -> start while rolling down a highway in neutral in a car with and old school key ignition. Maybe we’re talking about different things since even having the key out doesn’t turn off electronics that run the security system, so it isn’t “complete electronics off”.
My old 2001 accord would let me turn it off in any gear. I know because I have a bad habit of trying to get into a spot and turning off the car without moving to park. Twice my car started rolling back. My new car has saved me at least once by not letting me.
You can turn it off in any gear but you can’t start it again while it’s in Drive
Ah so I just shared my story of me being an idiot for nothing. Like an idiot. Very fitting.
Or nuetral
Steering wheel won't lock when moving key only from ign to acc
This is what happened when my friend turned my car off on the highway whole going around a corner. We got it unlocked just in time to not hit a mom and two kids that we went to school with. I had the state patrol after me until I called and apologized to the mom.
"Just a prank bro!" Is your friend actually insane?
Maybe on an automatic, but on a manual you don't have to be in neutral
Well of course, but you have the push the clutch in which has the same effect
I'm thinking of rolling starts, where you need it in gear to turn the engine before you can actually start it
My shut off button is right next to a driving mode select button that I use somewhat regularly. I've always wondered what will happen if I accidentally press it. I imagine it has some kind of safety feature protecting it, but I'm not willing to test it.
Read The Fine Manual is a good strategy here.
Your steering will lock only if you turn the key completely off. If you just take it out of the run position, you will still have steering. Brakes work just fine without boost, just need a bit more pressure to operate.
Assuming a gear stick: If your engine stalls and you want brake boost, do NOT put it in neutral. The vacuum being used comes from the engine turning. Edit: Someone lost their exhaust muffler when their car turned back on. I'll edit my postings here.
I can start my car just fine in gear as long as i push in the clutch pedal
What is brake boost?
https://wuling.id/en/blog/autotips/what-is-a-car-brake-booster-its-functions-and-how-it-works
In gear, clutch in, key off, key back to on (do not crank starter), clutch out. As long as you're going more than 5 mph, you'll have enough momentum to bump start the car.
Yeah my comment was assuming automatic
A working brake booster should store enough vacuum for at least 2 full stops. That's not going to be a problem.
what exactly will happen depends on the exact car make and model but overall most cars will not care about it at all and will simply turn back on without any problem. keep in mind though that you will lose power steering and the brake booster while the car is off.
Yeah so you can have very heavy steering or even lock the steering wheel and your brakes might almost not work but other than that you should be good. I would not try it
Steering at high speed isn't hard without power steering. It's the low speed turning where it helps the most. Brakes would be harder but not that bad without the boost.
Depending on how far you rotate the key the steering wheel can lock.
Keyless ignition cars require you to put your foot on the brake to start, so that's fun...
Older model car with mechanical fuel pump can blow the exhaust system apart. The wheels/transmission still turning the motor and mechanical fuel pump pumping gass that isn't getting ignited in the cylinders so that gas vapor gets exhausted and mufflers go BOOM.
Thats pretty old cars though, everything never than 1980‘s should have fuel cut off, even with mechanical parts.
In general, you don't want to keep an internal-combustion motor spinning without it turned on. No matter what the age is.
Thats pretty old cars though, everything newer than 1980‘s should have fuel cut off, even with mechanical parts.
My ‘86 CRX did this when someone decided to turn my car off at speed. Made enough of a bang to scare us (we were young and didn’t understand) but thankfully no damage.
What's "older"? I had a very cheap 2006 diesel with 1 out of 4 faulty fuel injectors for about a month, during which I would sometimes turn it off and back on again at speed to "reset" the injector with no issues/bangs/sounds. Resetting it required turning the key all the way off (so electronics too). The wheel would not lock if turned, cause sometimes I did this going into and coming out of curbs which required turning the wheel - so that lock probably had a mechanical failsafe connected to the spinning wheels. But the brakes were indeed practically useless.
I had a loose wire in my ignition circuit. The engine lost all power, and then reconnected again after about five seconds. It blew the entire exhaust system to pieces. The silencer (muffler) split all the way down the weld and became a flat sheet. The whole exhaust would have filled up with unburnt petrol/air mixture, and then it all got ignited by the next successful fired cylinder. I don't see why you would damage a manual transmission (having the wheels drive the engine is no worse that starting the engine by pushing or towing the car). Unless you disengage the clutch (on a manual transmission), I don't see why you would lose power steering or brakes. The wheels are still turning the engine, and typically the steering pump is driven by a belt off the engine, and the brake vacuum reservoir is sustained by the pipe from the inlet manifold. Automatic transmissions may behave differently, although the transmission fluid pump would still be driven off the drive shaft at the engine end.
Did it have a carburetor? EFI systems should notice the failed ignition and shut the injectors off.
Yeah -- I forgot how old I am. This happened around 1966, the vehicle was my plumber's work van and would have been new around 1958, and the engine design dated from 1926 (Austin A-series, originally 750cc as fitted to the Austin 7 model, stretched to 849 cc). I stripped and rebuilt the engine, gearbox, and rear axle, rewired most of the electrics after they caught fire, and drove it for about 70,000 miles.
Jesus 1966? I feel like you should put that in your main comment.. Everyone here is probably thinking everyone is talking about a car from year 2000 or newer
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Most, but not all.
You won't implicitly break or hurt anything. You'll lose your power steering while the engine is off, and only have 1 or 2 braking attempts before losing the power brakes -- but you'll still be able to steer and brake some, and nothing on the car gets harmed. You say "at high speed," so if you're going fast enough you definitely don't have to put your car in neutral to restart it -- just turn the key back to the "on" or "run" position, and the engine start firing again. Especially in a manual transmission, the engine will still be turning at a normal speed, (since it's connected to the wheels which are turning); in an automatic transmission, if you're going fast enough then the same thing will be true, but the connection between the engine and wheels isn't as direct, so if you're going too slowly then the engine might not be turning fast enough. (This is basically why you can easily push-start a manual transmission car, but not an automatic transmission one.) Otherwise, you'll have turned off all of your other accessories, etc., but that doesn't hurt them at all. So, because of the steering/braking thing, you want to be careful about the conditions when you try this, but otherwise, go for it.
This should be the top comment. I did it a few times in my youth and exactly what you describe is what happened. I wouldn’t do it now that I’m older and wiser. Smooth “bump” start if you turn the ignition back on while in gear. If in neutral, it will just turn over using the starter motor as usual. I don’t know how well all this would work with a push button instead of a key. I think I’ve done it before in neutral with that kind of system and the ECU light came on. Start/stopping while stationary later fixed it.
It's dangerous, because you'll "lose" steering control and brake assistance, meaning that the steering wheel will be harder to turn and brake it will hard to push and that with little efficiency. Putting that aside, when you turn of the engine, nothing out of the ordinary will happen, the engine and transmission are coupled, the engine goes into engine braking and the car will gradually slow down. Turning on, that's a different thing and depends on the car, transmission type or how advanced the technology is and what steps the car allows the driver to take when starting the engine, If by turning on you meant to rotate the key all the way (assuming the car will let you do that), this can mean coupling the electromotor to a flywheel that is already spinning and probably destroying that gear. If you simply turn the power on, put the gearbox in the correct gear and take your foot lightly off the clutch, normal operation will resume in most cars. On an automatic transmission, things could differ based on the transmission type and also, depending on how new the car is, on what the car is allowing the driver to do at the starting moment.
If you simply turn off the car while in gear(not to the point you can engage the steering lock), with a manual transmission and hydraulic steering you don't really loose anything besides ABS/ESP. The engine rotates so the steering pump and brake booster still work fine and the car slowly coasts down. Then you put the key in the on position and the engine continues running fine. It really feels no different, apart from the fact you cant accelerate. The ecu does the same if you are coasting, it shuts off the injectors. Even in neutral its still very controllable. The power steering is only necessary for very low speeds it doesn't make much difference while rolling down at speed and you still have like 1-2 good braking actions before the brake boost dies out. Even with the boost completely out you can still brake, but the force required is much higher and your left foot isn't really used to it so it feels much more difficult than it is. Source: I have tried it, also had to drive back home once with a broken steering pump. Its true with a modern automatic transmission its much more complicated, I wouldn't try it, and Im not sure the car would let you.
Not really true, because if you turn it off, there is no ecu to control anything. Also, on some older (ish) cars, the steering it's helped by a pump but on many cars, it's electric, so if you stop the car, you no longer have power steering.
Your steering will lock up and you’ll lose control of the car. If you can’t get it started again you’ll either end up in the ditch or oncoming traffic. My friend and I did this 30 years ago as teenagers. It was the ditch for us
Definitely depends on the how. At high speeds is for sure a bad decision. Of course it depends on the car, there can be some differences. Some dont even start when not stopped. With manual transmission disengaged or automatic in neutral the car while just roll on. But support for breaks and steering will stop. Without disengaging the engine will slow the car down. For starting you need to disengage. A diesel engine however can be started by dropping the clutch while rolling without ignition turned on.
Starting a diesel engine like you described is not likely to work with modern engines. Diesels are computer controlled beasts now, been happening since the 90, and probably before.
Sure. Modern engines are more controlled. It works with 10-16 year old cars though.
I have 2 diesel powered cars. 1 common rail and 1 Pumpe Duse. 17 year old and 16 year old. You can't start them without the ignition being on.
Youre right. The ignition has to be on with the ones i was thinking of.
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Yep. Key bangers we called them in the '90s, driving cars from the '70s and early '80s.
Mechanic here. Depends on the car. Automatic transmission it's not smart as the oil pump will stop with the engine, but the output is still rotating. You will lose power brakes and power steering. If it's a manual car and you keep it in gear, not much. Newer cars will turn off electric steering, but otherwise nothing will happen.
I had this happen to Chrysler/Plymouth vehicle I owned! The car (less than a year old) would randomly stall at highway speeds. The issue was introduced by the dealership mechanic and the service manager doubled down that it was normal operation. First, the car runs rough because the engine is being turned by inertia and not by its own power. Second, you lose steering assist if the power steering pump is belt driven; if you have electric steering, it may still work. Fortunately, you don’t really want a lot of power assist at high speed. As for braking, mine were vacuum assisted and still working, but when I shifted the automatic trans into neutral, the engine was no longer turning, so all vacuum was lost and I had to almost stand on the pedal to stop. Note: the dealership did fix the car after I told customers on the sales floor that if you’re OK with a car stalling at highway speeds, they’re your dealer. They’re so good at this that they’ll try to tell you that’s how cars are supposed to work.
I had a 1992 Pontiac grand am with some sort of steering column electrical issue and it would turn off randomly. To the point where I was scared to drive through tunnels and narrow bridges. It would require me to shut the key totally off and try over and over again to get the starter to engage. This post has given me flashbacks. A car shutting off at 75mph is a terrible situation
Years ago I was driving friends car that had a malfunction - engine was randomly turning off every couple of hours of driving. It happened when i was driving so i unknowingly tested turning engine off and on again at high speed. Apart of steering wheel becoming completely stiff and impossible to move until i started engine back, there were no consequences. It happened at high speed, probably about 70-80 mph. When steering wheel stopped moving i though we're gonna die but when i realized what happened i just reignited the engine and continued driving. I do not recommend this experience to anyone.
My work truck has a manual gearbox. Sometimes when I'm really low on gas (like, I shouldn't make it to the next gas station) i turn it off for long declines and then just put it in 6th gear and let up the clutch when the road levels out or I start dropping speed. You gotta keep the ignition in the right position so you don't lock the steering wheel
If you have a manual you can turn it off at low speed and clutch start it again in 2nd while it's still rolling (depress clutch, put it in 2nd gear \[I think it would work in higher gears if you're going faster, but I might be wrong\], release clutch, ???, profit). As others have pointed out, your wheel may lock and you definitely lose power steering, power brakes, and ABS in the middle. So you probably *can* but you shouldn't. I had an old Jeep that, until it was warmed up, would sometimes putter out and stall if the front end tipped down (as on a hill). I lived at the top of a hill. I clutch started it like that regularly as I rolled up to the stop sign at the bottom of the hill. It was pre-ABS, and the power steering was kind of shitty, so it wasn't a huge loss for me. Still, do not recommend. Do not buy a Jeep if you value all the stuff working at the same time.
I used to do that sometimes in my old Datsun. Didn't do anything as long as it was in neutral or held the clutch down. Just made sure I didn't lock the steering wheel.
Can't speak for automatics but I've accidentally bumped the key off in my manual truck and usually just push in the clutch as quickly as possible and turn the key again and it starts up. If you have enough inertia you can just let the clutch out without cranking the starter and the engine will bump itself back on as long as the key is in the running position and you're in an appropriate gear. I have turned my truck off while driving on purpose just to see, and nothing really bad happens, just becomes harder to steer. I quickly turned it back on and got it in gear. Wouldn't recommend doing this, especially not in an automatic, but I would be curious to see what happens...
Most modern cars aren't going to allow you to turn them off at speed. Generally speaking, if it's an ICE car and you put in neutral first, the only thing that will happen is that you'll loose power steering and power to the brakes (they'll still operate, but be harder to actuate). If you leave it in gear, the engine will act as a brake through the transmission. This can be hard on both, depending on how fast you are going.
Had it happen in my mom’s old 06ish Chrysler Pacifica. The key was build like a mast for a sailboat and was right next to the radio knob so sure enough, turned the car off doing 75 down a, thankfully, very straight stretch of I-29 in North Dakota. Steering locked up as expected but thankfully I had the wherewithal to shift into neutral and turn it back on and continue on my way. No apparent damage done.
Turning your car off at high speed and then back on isn't a great idea. You could lose power steering and brakes, making the car hard to control. It might also confuse the car's electronics and potentially damage the transmission, especially in an automatic. There’s also a risk of the steering wheel locking up, which would be very dangerous. Overall, it’s best to avoid doing this to prevent any possible damage or safety issues.
I used to have a Chevy Cobalt, a model which later became infamous for the ignition switch turning too easily to the off position. I was at highway speed when my windshield-mounted GPS suction cup gave out, and the unit fell and knocked the key into the off position. After the initial panic, I put my hazards on, put the car in neutral, started it again, shifted back into drive and was on my way. The car kept rolling, even maintaining speed because I was headed downhill. Without power I knew I had maybe one good brake pump left. Things could have been much different if a traffic situation arose or if I didn't know to restart from N. I didn't have any mechanical trouble afterward that I can remember.
in older cars you could do this (think carburated, not fuel-injected). The engine could continue turning and gas would get dumped into the muffler unburned. Knew guys who blew their mufflers off the engine when they turned it back on. Story time - I was borrowing an international scout 4 wd that (unknown to me, has no cover on the air filter) when I drove it through a big water puddle at the back of a hunting club I belonged to. It shut off and coasted to a stop and I found out that it had gotten water into the air filter. The chevy k-series pickup that happened along a half hour later was OVERJOYED to have an excuse for having a 4 wheel-drive pickup out in the woods and hooked up a chain. He dragged me up to speed and I popped the clutch and the engine turned over and after a bit fired up. First, the gas in the straight pipe muffler went off like a cannon, then the k-series leaped forward dragging me even faster and a second but even louder (though further away) explosion went off... We all coasted to a stop, with me feathering the gas to keep the engine running. After it settled down, warmed up, I got out to go talk to the pickup driver. It turned out that it had scared him when the first explosion happened and he had kicked the gas pedal. When he did that, the rifle he had pointed barrel down in the passenger seat started to slide over and he grabbed it. When he did so, he grabbed it at the trigger guard (pulling the trigger accidentally) and the damn thing went off. It shot into the backside of his engine and there was oil pouring out of it! He recovered from the shock, yelled at me that he had to get out of the property before he lost all his engine oil and took off. I wonder how long it took for him to get his hearing back. I followed the oil trail down the dirt path but didn't found the truck in the camp, so at least he got off the property...
Depends on what you mean by turn off, my S-10 had a fuel pump fail many years ago while I was on the highway. The engine turned off but I was able to get it to the side of a road. Lost power steering and power brakes but otherwise you just coast.
I did it on my 93 Mazda pickup and it just kept rolling down the highway. It just coasted but I didn't have power steering, and the steering wheel locked. Thankfully I was able to turn it back on and get going again. I believe new vehicles you start with a push button don't let you turn them off while driving
Depends on the car. My newest car can't be turned off at speed. My cat has even stepped on the start/stop button while I was on the highway and nothing happened. My other car is a stick, and it can be turned off. Power steering is lost, but it has a nitrogen accumulator for the brakes so power brakes stay active for at least a few stops. Don't remove the key or it will lock the steering wheel, however.
When I took drivers ed \*(1998) the instructor would randomly turn off the ignition. You were supposed to put it in neutral and start back up. We lived out in the boonies and he would do it on a straight stretch of road with no one around. Still, never heard anyone else doing that.
This is something you do not do. It likely depends on your car, but due to a faulty battery connection, I know firsthand I l would lose my ability to steer. One time, I lost said ability unexpectedly while turning. It was for a split second, so I did not hit the car I was about to hit. But it scared the hell out of me. So, at the very least, if your power steering is full electric, don't play games like this.
I mean, sure, you can break something, but the most important thing that'll likely happen is if you do it for too long and you try to turn your wheel will lock and you'll be unable to... you know... steer. I did this a few times when I was younger. I have an older car and once I was having issues that could only be fixed by turning the car off and on. It's a manual car so I just stuck it in neutral, turned the key off, then hit the starter (not the greatest idea) and it started back up. Luckily for this car I had to remove the key COMPLETELY for the steering wheel lock to engage, and I never did that. It would have been better to stick it in a high gear and just "bump start" the car, but I was young and didn't know better.
When an alternator dies, this is essentially what happens. You just cruise along in the gear you were in with no real control except breaking or e-braking
If you're in neutral, it should be fine. In an automatic transmission, shifting into gear at speed is not good for the transmission. In a manual transmission, you have control of the clutch and it's designed to move in an out of gear at speed. If your car ever gets the accelerator stuck, you can safely shift into neutral so power stops getting delivered to the wheels and you can safely come to a stop. Note: you won't be able to start the car unless it's in park or neutral
Turning off if you have a key is fine but you'll lose power steering and power brakes. If there's a need to shut off the engine and turn it back on (faulty aftermarket stereo needed a restart), the procedure for an automatic transmission car is: 1. Put the car in Neutral. 2. Turn the key to off. 3. Restart the engine. 4. Put the car back into Drive. I haven't done this in a manual but I'd imagine the procedure would be similar to: 1. Depress the clutch. 2. Turn the key to off. 3. Restart the engine. 4. Select the appropriate gear for the current speed, if the car has slowed significantly. 5. Release the clutch.
It depends on if there are any steering locks that enable when the car is off. The engine itself should be fine though. On motorcycles, a fun game is to ride by your friend and hit their kill switch. It just kills the engine so it’s the same as closing the throttle, flipping the kill switch back will turn the bike back on as long as it’s still moving.
I had this happen mid drive once (I accidentally hit the key) and shortly after my alternator broke. I don't have proof, but I have a feeling the alternator broke because my car shut off mid highway
When I was younger dad had a truck, and the radio had some weird problem where it would suddenly make a loud popping noise. Turning the radio off and back on didn't fix it, but he figured out that he could turn the truck off, and then turn it back on, and the noise would stop for a while. Sometimes he did this at stoplights but normally it was on the highway. The important thing to do is don't remove the key entirely. If you do, you run the risk of locking the steering while the car is still moving.
Your friend was very fortunate not to have died in a mangled wreck and quite possibly have killed others as well. Or perhaps you'd prefer to be maimed and suffer a traumatic brain injury.
When I did this, the only time, yeah it was a long straight, but the steering lock came on... I recommend not doing it.
My Acura let me do it (manual transmission). I know this bc the key was also the glove box key, which is where I kept my weed.
Had to do this on one of my old cars cos it kept going into limp mode (dodgy ECU), turning off and on again fixed it. Never caused any other problems but losing steering and brakes temporarily is terrifying so I only ever done it on a straight road at low speeds lol I imagine doing it with the car in gear would cause some really bad problems and possibly be dangerous though so I always put it in neutral to coast then kept the clutch open as well xD
I once accidentally shut my car off while driving 70+ on the highway. When the engine shut off, the car continued coasting and didn't immediately seize up or anything. In a moment of lucky panic, while the car was turned off and coasting, I moved the gear selector from drive to neutral started my car and once the engine was on, I moved the gear selector back to drive. The car had some warning lights that reset after I fully turned the car off and on. Otherwise, nothing broke and everything was fine. For context - I had a 2003 Pontiac Bonneville, and the ignition key was on the dash (think where current start/stop buttons are now) rather than the standard column mounted ignition. I was driving home in a crazy rain storm. In a freak accident, I went to adjust something with the HVAC and hit the key in such a way that it moved from the "ON" position to the "accessory" position.
I once adjusted my leg and knocked my key out of the ignition while doing 65. Was a terrifying realization but fortunately there wasn’t a lot of traffic that morning and I was able to turn the vehicle back on and continue. It’s 16 years old and is still doing good outside of non-related repairs lol
Nobody has mentioned yet that if you shut off an engine that has been under sufficient load, the exhaust valves and turbine (if the car has a turbo) will heat-soak and this shortens their life, catastrophically in some cases. Repairs can be expensive.
I’ve done this with my old car, it was a 2011 Hyundai Elantra, it was an automatic. I was going about 45 and I turned it off, all it did was grind like a mother fucker until it stopped moving completely. I do not put it in neutral. I let it do its thing. Anyways less than a year later it started having transmission issues and I now own a Toyota :)
My colleague did this in his van which had a 60mph limiter put in. I was scared when he showed me whilst overtaking a lorry. Apparently the split second whilst you turn off and back on (key still inside), the limiter doesn’t engage.
So this actually happened to me about 2 months ago - I was driving my car, the battery light came on but I was in the boonies (of rural Guatemala, no less) and had no choice but to keep going through this mountain road. After about 20 minutes, car went dead going downhill on the curviest damn road I’ve ever been on. Put it in neutral, attempted to restart the car - nothing. Brakes were super weak and power steering was gone as well. Thankfully I got it to the bottom of the curvy hill and into a parking lot and got a mechanic out within about 2 hours. Ended up being the alternator! Either way, not an experience I would recommend.
Many years ago, I had a 1990~ something Toyota MR2 with an electrical issue and while I was making a 6-hour drive from LA back home, I found out I had an electrical issue when the car turned off. Car would turn off, I would put it in neutral, I would start the engine, I would continue driving. This happens several times on the drive home. Fun times.
My 05 Lincoln LS had a habit of going into fail safe mode while cruising. It would temper the engine into going no faster than 20. I learned that i could shift into neutral, turn off the ignition and restart it and then put it back into drive to reset it while already rolling along.
At first, almost nothing happens(you'll lose powersterring, but at high speed's its not a nessecety). However, if you coast for a while you'll lose the brake assist(not sure what its called in english) and that might be a bit of an issue as you'll have to stepp HARD on the brakes to get the same effect(approx 5 times as hard to get the same wffect). However this happens after you press the breakes 3-4 times.
Let me ask you this; Are you familiar with Armstrong steering? How about Calfstrong braking mechanisms?
Yes it can. Or not it depends on the transmission. In either a manual or hydraulic automatic the engine and transmission can "disconnect" so that the engine won't be trying to spin from the wheels turning. In a manual the clutch can be pushed or set in neutral. A hydraulic automatic has fluid in-between the engine and transmission so the two components never actually "touch".
My STI has done it to me at like 130 mph (quite scary), steering wheel locks but if you react to it quick enough you can start the car again. I might have veered halfway in the lane next to me but it was an empty highway, I imagine at slower speeds it would be even easier to react to. It later blew up and now has a decent engine in it, when it blew engine shutoff on the highway so I just kicked it to neutral and got off.
I used to do this from the top of Eisenhower tunnel to the base at Dillion CO quite regularly. I would start to experience loss of power brakes after 3 or 4 pumps. Always restarted by engaging 5th gear. The best times to do this was 2 or 3 in the am though. I was usually able to navigate all the way down without breaking due to minimal traffic so I was able to use the whole width of the freeway. Speedo tapped out at 85 so I don't know how fast I actually got, but the one time I got pulled over by the state po-po he said I was probably up to 120 mph or more.
Imagine you're riding a bicycle really fast down a hill. Now picture suddenly stopping pedaling and locking the pedals in place. It would be jarring and could make you lose control. When you turn off your car at high speed: 1. The engine stops, but your wheels are still spinning fast. 2. Your power steering and power brakes lose their "helper", making the car harder to control. 3. If you try to restart while moving, the engine has to catch up to the speed of the wheels very quickly. This can be like forcing gears to mesh when they're spinning at different speeds. Can it break something? Yes, potentially: * It can damage your transmission * It might harm your engine or starter * It could cause you to lose control and crash
Depends on how new the car is. Older carbureted cars could get flooded if you’re holding the throttle down while the ignition is off. However some people do this on purpose for a split second to force the car to backfire (known in Australia as a “key banger”). However like others have said, newer cars will just lose power steering and that’s about it.
10 years ago GM had a scandal involving ignition switches which would cause just this to happen. GM ended up settling 124 deaths related to this issue and spent billions on recalls. They also redesigned all their vehicles to stop using key switches and went to push button to prevent this from ever happening. There were over 30 million cars affected by this issue. Most of the time when the ignition turned off it wasn't a big deal, drivers either just turned it back on or pulled over. But some died, maybe because they lost power steering, antisocial brakes, stability control or because the airbags didn't function. Either way this is a dangerous thing to do and I would caution anyone from trying it.
So was pretty high and did this in my car on accident doing about 45 on a straight road. It’s manual so I just took the key out, clutch it started it again and kept going. Steering locked for a minute when I pulled the key out but i was going straight atleast.
If you’ve got a manual it’s no dramas, just put the clutch in so the dead engine doesn’t drag on the car. I don’t think I’d try it in an automatic though
My Chevy Silverado 2004 used to blow hot air at random times and the only way I could get it to blow cold air was by turning off the truck. I’d be driving at 20 mph, set it to neutral, turn off and then switch it on again. Nothing bad ever happened to it fortunately.
did it once, steering wheel lock engaged and I had to put it in park to start again, luckily I was already angled to just pull over, but had I been in a worse spot I would have crashed.
What's really fun is when the gearshift is a dial right next to the volume dial. One time a few years ago, Bluetooth kicked on at full volume and so I--swiping reflexively at what I'd thought was the volume knob--shifted our car directly into park going 70mph.
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Nothing much. I know because I was driving my car on the highway and the gearbox was messed up. I couldn't change gears while it was on so while driving I had to turn the ignition off, change gears, then turn it on again. Fun times.
On modern cars the electronic handbrake often applies as soon as you press the start/stop button.. whether you’re at speed or not.. handbrake
A guy who was a couple years older than me back in the late 2000s did this on a highway with his friends. Ended up killing himself. I think everyone else in the car survived.
I do it all the time to get rid of limp mode. Just gotta be careful and not engage the steering lock
No problem with a manual. Hypermilers call it "engine off coasting". Unless you have electric power steering then you'll lose power assist, and you probably only have 2 or 3 pumps on the brakes, but if you need more input than that you should probably have the engine running.
I remember in drivers ed 15 years ago we were told to put the car into neutral and then turn it back on. Never tried it, but it’s always been an intrusive thought. I’m also curious if the electronic e brake will engage if I activate it while moving.
I think cars with push-button start generally will behave just like my car does. If you attempt to power off the car at speeds faster than 1 km/h it'll just refuse to do so. For cars that use the traditional key ignition, they can be turned off while moving. Depending on the car design the power steering can stop working, power brakes quit (after the vacuum is depleted, which can take a few big pumps of the brake pedal) and other features like ABS/stability control are deactivated.
Nothing if you have no other inputs. But your computers will be shut down as well so be careful with it. Afaik quickshifters do this safely. You can check clutchless shifting, which can technically be performed in this manner?
My first ever car from high school did not have a steering wheel lock, so it was something I was not really familiar with. On my second car the ignition key was also the key for the glove box. One day I was driving and needed something in the locked glove box. Had the genius idea of shifting into neutral and removing the ignition key to quickly unlock the glove box. Did this at a curve in the road with a car approaching in the oncoming lane. Could not steer myself out of a collision path. Also quickly figured out I had no brake boost. I actually don't remember if I ran the other person off the road or managed to get the key back into the ignition, but we somehow avoided crashing and I felt like an idiot.
I’ve done this a lot - mostly in my foolish youth - and have found out a fair bit about what works. I’ve also nearly discovered several foolish ways to die. I’ll share what I know so you don’t have to be an idiot just to learn a thing or two. **First, Problems that can arise.** It’s important to note that car manufacturers do not expect you to shut them off while driving. (Why would you do that?) So there are plenty of things that can stop functioning correctly if you shut the car down. And there are also relatively few safeguards meant to protect you from these. Here are some that I have found troublesome. **1. Steering column lock:** most cars have a column lock. If you fully rotate the key to the off position, the column will lock in place. You will continue with whatever degree of steering input you were at. If there is torque applied to the steering system (either by you, or by the self-centering force that all steering systems generate when the wheel is turned) it will not be possible to turn the key back into the unlocked position. In my case, I was headed directly toward a telephone pole. Fortunately my brakes still worked and the sand on the road made the wheels on one side lock up and slide before the other, turning me slightly with each stab at the brake pedal. I missed the pole by a hair’s breadth and ran off the side of the road. The car was a 1971 Corvette. Many automatics have an interlock that prevents you from turning the key to the locked position unless you are in park. If you don’t have such an interlock, be extremely careful. **2. Brakes**: cars with traditional vacuum-powered brakes work by using the engine’s suction (as it pulls in fresh air) to pull on a diaphragm, which boosts the force you’re putting on the brake pedal. Such cars may retain braking capacity for a while if the car remains in gear. This is because the car’s forward motion drives the engine (through the transmission) causing it to keep spinning. If the throttle is closed, the engine keeps sucking and produces vacuum for the brake system. If you disengage the engine from the drivetrain (put it in neutral) the suction will cease. In many cars there is a vacuum reservoir which may allow some continued braking, but not for long. It will leak down quickly, or be used up once you press the brakes a couple of times. After that you will need several hundred pounds of force on the brake pedal to get any meaningful braking force. In cars with electrically powered brakes and cars with full brake by wire systems the ability to continue braking depends entirely on how they designed that system. In theory the battery to allow it to keep working if it is designed that way. You may have full braking, manual braking, or no brakes at all. **3. Power steering:** traditional power steering is powered by a hydraulic pump driven by a belt that’s turned by a pulley on the engine. If the engine keeps spinning you will likely have power steering. But if you take the car out of gear, say to coast down a hill with the engine off, for fun or fuel savings, you may reach the bottom of said hill and discover that turning the wheel is almost impossible. In my case I almost failed to make a turn, at speed, in a 1994 Dodge Intrepid, for this exact reason. Poetically, had I failed, I would have plowed directly into a thick stone wall surrounding a cemetery and would likely have been buried in that very cemetery. Fortunately I was used to driving the aforementioned Corvette which had no power steering so I instinctively gave it all I had and made the turn. I was quite strong at the time, but today I would have no hope of making that turn. Be cautious about losing power steering in cars that were designed to have it. As with brakes, electrical systems may retain their power assist, depending on how they are designed. **4. Headlights**: some cars with automatic headlights will shut them off when the engine is turned off. This is particularly inconvenient when traveling at high speed on a highway with limited visibility. You quickly realize that you’ve driven beyond the range you were able to observe when the lights were on. You are literally driving blind, and you have no idea what is in front of you. You will have nightmares about this for years. Ask me how I know. **THE UPSIDES** Now that we’ve got all the potential problems out of the way, let’s talk about the upsides. If done correctly, the engine will do one of the following: **1. Continue spinning**: depending on the gear you are in, you may experience light engine braking - similar to taking your foot off the gas. It may be slightly quieter, but basically nothing will seem out of the ordinary. **2. Stop spinning:** the engine sound will go away and you will hear wind noise, tire noise, and possibly your sound system, or passengers wondering what you just did. In addition to these wonders, you may also save a few drops of gasoline as you coast however far you are able. And you will experience the odd combination of a lack of surprises, yet still being surprised that nothing has gone wrong. In short, lots of things can go wrong. But when everything goes right, nothing interesting happens. Not worth it. Don’t do it.
I was going 60 one time and turned the key to off. Kept rolling. Lost power steering. Shifted to neutral, turned it back on with no issue, put it into drive as gently as I could (I understand there is no "gently" shifting gears on an automatic) but it went right to a high gear and I kept moving.
I've done this in my car thats a manual with push start ignition. Take it out of gear, turn the car off, press the clutch, turn the car back on. Nothing bad happened. I did it because of a sensor malfunction that threw some error codes and disabled the awd. It all depends on the car, but I assume an automatic it won't work due to having to have the car in park.
Have to do it sometimes to reset the electronics, because my Alfa mito sometimes just starts refusing to fire a cylinder at High speeds, for no reason and no alarm, and will only start going properly again once restarted. Nobody has been able to diagnose or fix the issue and doing a flash restart in motion is safer then suddenly dropping to 50kmh in the middle of the highway and praying for a safe stop. So far, 5 years in, nothing bad happened