# Dodge van loses Ignition when in reverse

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/dodge-van-loses-ignition-when-in-reverse/35604>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Tags:** van, ram, dodge, electrical-wiring\
**Created:** [August 25, 2009, 10:02pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/dodge-van-loses-ignition-when-in-reverse/35604 "2009-08-25T22:02:18Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![thumper286](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thumper286](https://community.cartalk.com/u/thumper286)\
**Post date:** [August 25, 2009, 10:02pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/dodge-van-loses-ignition-when-in-reverse/35604/1 "2009-08-25T22:02:18Z")

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My Dodge Ram 2500 van loses Ignition power when I put it in reverse and every now and then while I’m driving. The van still runs but the ac, blower and gauges lose power.

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**Author:** ![Cougar](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/cougar/32/21348_2.png) [@Cougar](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Cougar)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2009, 1:54pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/dodge-van-loses-ignition-when-in-reverse/35604/2 "2009-08-26T13:54:27Z")

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If the problem isn’t with the ignition switch then I would check the harness connections next. Tapping on suspected areas with a screwdriver handle may show up the trouble spot.

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**Author:** ![thumper286](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thumper286](https://community.cartalk.com/u/thumper286)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2009, 10:40pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/dodge-van-loses-ignition-when-in-reverse/35604/3 "2009-08-26T22:40:35Z")

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Thanks for the reply. After some checking I replaced the neutral safetey switch and that didn’t work. So I figured it has to have something to do with the reverse lights so I took them out and everything works perfect! I put the passenger side light in and it still worked fine, then i put the drivers side bulb back in and it started happening again. So I think the socket may be bad, weird huh? I read the chiltons manual at the store and found out that the reverse lights lead to a ignition cut off relay so if there is a short the relay kicks in and turns off your ignition line.

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**Author:** ![Cougar](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/cougar/32/21348_2.png) [@Cougar](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Cougar)\
**Post date:** [August 27, 2009, 12:28am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/dodge-van-loses-ignition-when-in-reverse/35604/4 "2009-08-27T00:28:04Z")

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I have never heard of a circuit like that. I can’t understand why they would do such a thing and it seems very strange to me. If that line was shorted the lights would not work and it seems a fuse would blow out. Are the bulbs the correct wattage for the reverse lights?

Another thought on this, perhaps there is a bad power connection to those areas and the extra load of the reverse lights is causing a voltage drop across it and that causes the other things to die. I assume you aren’t blowing a fuse out so this sounds like the most likely trouble to me now.