# Mystery switch below steering wheel **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Tags:** e250, ford\ **Created:** [October 13, 2021, 7:28pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/mystery-switch-below-steering-wheel/179945 "2021-10-13T19:28:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sonnycarrothers\_177658](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@sonnycarrothers\_177658](https://community.cartalk.com/u/sonnycarrothers_177658)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2021, 7:28pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/mystery-switch-below-steering-wheel/179945/1 "2021-10-13T19:28:01Z")
There is a switch below my steering wheel. It doesn’t seem to do anything but the wires are hot. I’ve unplugged it. Any ideas? ![20211013_115344](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/9/c/9cd5eb68be1a27b8f1f715ece28ca2cb6772864a.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Purebred](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/purebred/32/46796_2.png) [@Purebred](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Purebred)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2021, 7:37pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/mystery-switch-below-steering-wheel/179945/2 "2021-10-13T19:37:10Z")
My WAG, previous owner had auxiliary lights wired to it and removed them when they sold the van. Do **not** look OEM to me. ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2021, 7:47pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/mystery-switch-below-steering-wheel/179945/3 "2021-10-13T19:47:55Z")
Black out lights for drug dealer or fuel shut off? Why disconnect it until you know what it is? ---
**Author:** ![Renegade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Renegade](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Renegade)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2021, 7:50pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/mystery-switch-below-steering-wheel/179945/4 "2021-10-13T19:50:05Z")
> [@Purebred](#): > > Do **not** look OEM to me. Agree do not look OEM. ---
**Author:** ![Nevada\_545](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/nevada_545/32/41232_2.png) [@Nevada\_545](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Nevada_545)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2021, 7:53pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/mystery-switch-below-steering-wheel/179945/5 "2021-10-13T19:53:39Z")
You should remove that switch, it can damage your knee in a collision. Bad location. ---
**Author:** ![weekend-warrior](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/weekend-warrior/32/26122_2.png) [@weekend-warrior](https://community.cartalk.com/u/weekend-warrior)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2021, 8:00pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/mystery-switch-below-steering-wheel/179945/6 "2021-10-13T20:00:51Z")
it could be for a after market alarm or cut off switch that acted up and he disconnected. ---
**Author:** ![LoudThunder](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/loudthunder/32/27769_2.png) [@LoudThunder](https://community.cartalk.com/u/LoudThunder)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2021, 8:03pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/mystery-switch-below-steering-wheel/179945/7 "2021-10-13T20:03:10Z")
> [@Purebred](#): > > My WAG, previous owner had auxiliary lights wired to it and removed them when they sold the van. Do **not** look OEM to me. I would remove the switch and look at the wire connectors; do they look after-market, like the kind you can buy at a parts store and are the wires an odd-ball color that does not match the scheme of wire colors with the rest? If they do not look like the type of connectors that the rest of the vehicle has installed or the wires are just “snaking around,” then Purebred probably “hit the nail on the head” and they were installed by a previous owner. See Photo of Typical After Market Items… I suggest you trace them down. If the previous owner removed the accessory that they were connected to then it might have been done in a rush, with a “who-cares” attitude and the ends may not have been clipped and insulated properly and they could come back to “haunt” you some day if they short out. If they really do not connect to anything, take them out and be thankful you found and prevented a possible future problem. ![Wires](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/1/b/1ba1600c61c18f002dab36028828c0f55b28beca.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Nevada\_545](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/nevada_545/32/41232_2.png) [@Nevada\_545](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Nevada_545)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2021, 8:07pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/mystery-switch-below-steering-wheel/179945/8 "2021-10-13T20:07:20Z")
Of course that is an aftermarket switch, the type and location do not meet federal vehicle safety standards. ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2021, 8:25pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/mystery-switch-below-steering-wheel/179945/9 "2021-10-13T20:25:04Z")
> [@Purebred](#): > > Do **not** look OEM to me. +1 > [@weekend-warrior](#): > > it could be for a after market alarm That was my first thought. My '92 Accord had an aftermarket alarm and the switch for it looked very similar. ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2021, 12:43am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/mystery-switch-below-steering-wheel/179945/10 "2021-10-16T00:43:51Z")
Maybe for anti-theft, when leaving the car after parking, toggle to disable the ignition system. ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2021, 1:05am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/mystery-switch-below-steering-wheel/179945/11 "2021-10-16T01:05:00Z")
Pretty lame anti theft sitting out there in the open. ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2021, 1:34am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/mystery-switch-below-steering-wheel/179945/12 "2021-10-16T01:34:09Z")
> [@texases](#): > > Pretty lame anti theft sitting out there in the open. Yeah the one I installed on the kid’s car was in the upper side of the pocket normally for an ash tray in days of old. Couldn’t see it but easily in reach to flip it with a finger. Our camper had a wire to plug into 12V when camping at a place without a hookup. I was thinking of that but then why would there be a switch? Either plug into the trailer harness or not. I hope the OP didn’t disconnect it before figuring out what it was actually for. ---
**Author:** ![Renegade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Renegade](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Renegade)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2021, 1:38am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/mystery-switch-below-steering-wheel/179945/13 "2021-10-16T01:38:50Z")
> [@texases](#): > > Pretty lame anti theft sitting out there in the open. One time I did something simular on one of my old carbureted cars the fuel pump went out the parts house wanted I think 10 or 12$ for a new one or 6 or 7$ for an electric one that I could mount anywhere and use the fuel lines from the non working pump and a hot and ground wire instead of trying to mess with the ignition switch to find what wire to get the hot from I grounded it on the engine ran a new hot wire from the fuse box through a lighted toggle switch mounted about the same place as th OPs that had to be turned on for it to work if any one tried to drive the car who didn’t know about it could only go far enough for the gas that was in the carb was used up. By the way I am probably dating myself with the prices I listed ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2021, 2:02am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/mystery-switch-below-steering-wheel/179945/14 "2021-10-16T02:02:18Z")
> [@Renegade](#): > > through a lighted toggle switch Wonder if you had to run a separate wire for the light part? I hooked up an outlet for my compressor with a lighted switch to turn it on (like what you would see for a walk in freezer). When it didn’t work, further study showed I had to also run a wire for the light somehow, don’t remember after 20 some years. Tells me when I’ve got the compressor live or not. Hope someone in the future appreciates all the customization I’ve done. Likely not though. People that bought my old house turned my shop into a music room. Talk about a slap in the face. Not even a sewing or craft room, but a music room for heaven’s sake. Oh sorry, off topic. Gotta go. ---
**Author:** ![Renegade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Renegade](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Renegade)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2021, 2:22am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/mystery-switch-below-steering-wheel/179945/15 "2021-10-16T02:22:33Z")
> [@bing](#): > > Wonder if you had to run a separate wire for the light part No separate wire the light was built into the switch just had to make sure that the hot wire was on right terminal of the switch otherwise the light would be on when the switch was off.