Remote car starters are relatively simple devices, but installing one safely in a car with a manual transmission presents a unique set of problems. The problem is that most manual transmissions use mechanical shift linkages, and there is no sensor to connect to that determines whether the transmission is in neutral. Without one, a remote car starter could be engaged with the transmission in gear, with potentially disastrous results.
Using a remote control with a manual transmission
When you install an automatic starter in a vehicle with an automatic transmission, it typically checks for two things before starting the engine: that the transmission is in park and that the parking brake is set. In some installations, it only checks that the transmission is in park.
The biggest problem with manual transmissions is that there is no park. They only have neutral, which is kind of like park, but the transmission can coast. There is no park pawl, which is the part in automatic transmissions that locks the transmission in place.
The other major problem is that when you start a vehicle with a manual transmission, you first have to depress the clutch pedal. This is easier to solve than the problem of making sure the transmission is in neutral, but it is still an extra hurdle that does not apply to vehicles with automatic transmissions.
