Your truck is the vehicle that you rely on to get you where you need to be. However, no matter how well you maintain or service your vehicle, different parts will wear over time and eventually fail, requiring replacement. The ignition switch within your truck is one of these parts that is not designed to last forever. When the ignition switch fails you will no longer be able to start your vehicle. In many cases, this problem presents itself with very few warning signs. Your truck not starting could potentially mean that the ignition switch has failed, but it could also mean that the battery is dead or the fuse is damaged. This means that you need to know the most helpful troubleshooting tips that allow you to accurately identify if you do in fact have an ignition switch that has failed when your truck will not start.

Fuse

You need to begin by taking a look at the fuse panel. It is possible that the fuse for the ignition switch could have just blown. You can remove the fuse and inspect it for any damage. If it is broken in any way, it is possible to replace the fuse with another that has identical amperage. The metal strip of the fuse is what you need to examine when you remove the fuse.

Battery

If the use is not the problem, you can rule out the battery by using a voltmeter. This is a tool that you can use to determine the amount of volts that are running through the battery of your truck. You will need to open the hood of your truck in order to get access to the battery. The red part of the voltmeter needs to come into contact with the battery of your truck. Make sure that you place it on the positive terminal. The black part of the voltmeter needs to come into contact with the negative terminal. Once you have it in the right position, you can then look to see what the voltmeter is reading. If it shows a voltage reading, you know that the battery is not dead. This means that the battery is not the cause of the truck not starting.

Turn

Now you can turn the key in the ignition and listen for a sound. If you do not hear any type of clicking noise when you turn the key, it is likely that you have an ignition switch that has failed.