In a survival scenario, transportation is at a premium. There are plenty of survival situations in which a person could end up stranded without a vehicle. If you are in a true SHTF scenario, getting in a vehicle could be the only way to get to safety. If you are fleeing a flood or a wildfire, moving on foot could be moving too slow. If there is a mob of angry people running your way, a vehicle probably makes more sense than trying to outrun them. There are lots of times that the closest vehicle may not be yours. If it gives you the best odds of survival, you may need to consider hotwiring a vehicle to get to safety.
I want to be clear that we are not in any way encouraging people to steal vehicles or break the law in any way. We simply want to teach people how to start a vehicle without a key if it could save a life. Stealing a car is a felony offense in all 50 states and you should plan on facing consequences for your actions. However, I would gladly take the consequences if it meant protecting my family. In this article, we will cover how to hotwire a vehicle as well as other steps you may need to take to get the vehicle to safety.
Which Car Should I Choose?
If you have the right tools and knowledge, really any car can be hotwired. In general, the newer the car is the harder it will be to hotwire. As the computer systems on cars have improved, so have their factory standard security systems. Not only do newer vehicles have an alarm that detects glass breaks or tampering with the electrical system, but they also have engine shutdown features and some can even call the police with the location of the vehicle. Newer cars require some high-tech gear and specialized training to bypass these systems. Only professionals mess with these cars.
Your goal is to go as old as possible in most cases. Your best luck is going to be with a vehicle built in 1999 and prior. These older vehicles have more basic computer systems, and in some cases basically no computer system. You should be aware that breaking into or hotwiring a vehicle can often do damage to that vehicle. For some models, you will need to break parts in the steering column or ignition assembly. You may have to manipulate the electrical system, which could just leave wires cut or could fry the whole system. If you have a heart, try to avoid restored classics and go for beaters that will blend in. If you plan to practice your skills, be sure the owner of the car knows the damage you may do.
Gear Needed
You can certainly hotwire a car on the fly with whatever you have in your pockets. However, it is going to be much easier and quicker if you have the right gear with you. If you know you are headed out to find a new ride, bring a full kit along. Improvising could start a fire or could leave you with an electrical burn if you aren’t careful.
You will need gloves to protect your hands from cuts and scrapes, but also from shocks. Try to bring gloves rated for working with live wires. You will also need tools for working on the wires such as wire cutters, wire strippers, and electrical tape. You will need some tools for removing screws and bolts and for breaking pins when needed. These would include a hammer, a Philips screwdriver, a flathead screwdriver, and pliers. Finally, in some cases you may need jumper cables to get the car going.
Entering a Locked Car
The easiest option is to find an unlocked car. Often people with really old clunkers will leave the windows down or the door unlocked because they think nobody would want to steal their car. Also, in a true SHTF scenario people will often leave their door unlocked as they abandon their vehicles.
If you cannot find a vehicle with the window down or the doors unlocked, you can try unlocking the car mechanically. You can use slim jims, window balloons, or even a coat hanger to unlock the door on some older vehicles. I had a ’77 Chevy Impala in college and locked the keys in the car one summer. I was able to find a loose piece of wire lying around the area and popped the lock in about 20 minutes. Unfortunately, 20 minutes is not ideal when you are running for your life.
The best option may be to bust out a window. The side windows on vehicles are designed to be broken away in emergencies. The windshield and rear window are designed to hold in one piece to prevent people from being ejected from the vehicle. Your best bet is to target a side window where nobody will be sitting. This will ensure you don’t need to clean out the broken glass to get the car moving.
Your first instinct may be to punch the window with your fist. This is the worst thing you can do. If you are able to break the window, you will likely break your hand as well. In addition, your natural reaction will be to pull your arm back through the broken glass. This action will likely rip up your arm, wrist, and hand to the point that you could bleed out. You should always use a tool to shatter the glass if possible. I have four or five different survival tools that have a glass punch in the handle. You simply need to strike the window in the bottom corner with a medium amount of force and it should shatter. You can then reach in and unlock the door.
Break the Ignition
The original way to hotwire a car was a simple oversight by manufacturers of older models. Some ignitions just need a flathead screwdriver inserted in the ignition and then turned just like a key was being used. They turn right over or may just need a little wiggle.
If the ignition does not turn, strike the end of the screwdriver handle with your hammer to break the ignition. When you break it, you should feel the screwdriver go into the ignition a bit further. You may have to hit it a few times to get it to break. The harder you hit it on the first swing, the less noise you will make. Now you should be able to turn the ignition and start the car. If the ignition is being difficult at this point, you may need to grab the pliers to give it a firm turn and start the car. Once the ignition is broken, you should always be able to start the car with a flathead screwdriver until the ignition is fixed.
Hotwiring the Electrical System
When you picture hotwiring a car, you probably think of the guy from the action movies ripping wires from the steering column. You can and may need to use this method, but it is more challenging and more dangerous than just using a hammer. You will definitely need insulated gloves for this type of work or you could absolutely be electrocuted.
You will start by removing the panel on the underside of the steering column exposing all of the wiring. It will look like you are trying to diffuse a bomb, but you will be ignoring most of those wires. Let’s start with brown wires. If you see two brown wires, start by cutting them both. Use your wire stripper to strip the ends of both brown wires. Just like in the movies, you will gently touch the two wires together until the ignition turns over. This can create some sparks as these are live wires, so be careful and protect your eyes. Once the car is started, tape over the ends of the wires so they do not touch again. You do not want to twist them together like they often do on TV. If you were to touch them after the car was started, it would likely fry everything and create a fire hazard.
If you look and see just one brown wire, ignore it and move on to look for two red wires. Cut both of the red wires and strip the ends. You will treat these wires just like you would treat the brown wires in the first example. Touch them together to start the car, separate them, and then wrap them so they do not touch again.
Get the Jumper Cables
You have one final option if the first two do not work. For this one, you will need to pop the hood. Look for the wire running into the positive side of the ignition coil which is commonly red in color. Use the jumper cable to connect the positive battery terminal to the red coil wire. If this is going to work, you should now have power to the lights on the dash.
This supplies the same power as if you were to turn a key halfway in the ignition to listen to the radio. You will then connect the negative battery terminal to the solenoid with the other jumper cable. If you have good connections, the car should fire right up. If you got power to the dash but it does not turn over, try adjusting the negative cable before you give up.
Freeing Up the Steering Wheel
You will find that some cars have a mechanism to lock the steering wheel until the car is properly started with a key. This is just another roadblock we need to get past. Start by turning the wheel to one side as far as it will go. Then give it a forceful push further with both hands. Sometimes this is enough to break it free so you can drive.
You are breaking a pin like you may have done with the ignition, so it takes some serious force. You may need to use a pry bar or another tool for leverage to get it to pop. If you cannot get it to break free, you can try using a screwdriver. Place the flathead between the wheel itself and the steering column. You then need to push the locking pin toward the column and away from the wheel until it breaks.
When things get really bad in a SHTF situation, finding cars left on the side of the highway is not difficult. I have seen plenty of evacuations due to wildfires and hurricanes the last few years. As soon as the evacuation was announced, the highways were all gridlocked. Many people left their cars to try and find another way to safety. This could be a prime area to find a vehicle if it was able to weave through the traffic or drive off-road.
Please just be sure the vehicle is empty before you try to get in. If there are other people in the area, ask if they know who owns the car. If it is unclaimed, then the chances of a conflict are much less. Obviously, this whole venture can be dangerous. Our goal is to preserve life and safety, not to risk the safety of others or ourselves. If there is a person in the car or close by claiming the car, try the next car and apologize to the owner. You do not want any conflict and certainly don’t want anyone to get hurt.
You should also remember that having a working vehicle could be a highly valued commodity in some areas. As people get more desperate, they may try to carjack people driving through. If you can, stick to back roads and avoid large cities. If you are in an area with lots of foot traffic, try to move to a location without it. You do not want to risk your car getting surrounded by a crowd. Hotwiring a car could absolutely save your life or the lives of others, but it can also put people at risk. Even if everything goes smoothly, you may be facing criminal charges. Always weigh the pros and cons and be as safe as you can.