Common Misdiagnoses

• Many vehicles have a special ignition key that is electronically coded to start your vehicle. If the key or the system is having problems, the symptom may be the same as a faulty starter.

Common Symptoms

• If only a "click" is heard when trying to start the vehicle, the battery may be low, battery connections may be dirty or loose, or the starter solenoid may have failed. The entire starting and charging system should be inspected before replacing the starter.

• If the battery cables are found to be corroded, they will need to be cleaned and possibly replaced along with the starter.

• Corroded and/or loose battery terminals can exhibit the same symptoms as a faulty starter.

• A bad switch will have the same symptoms as a defective starter. For vehicles with an automatic transmission, ask to have the neutral safety switch inspected. Manual transmission vehicles should have the clutch pedal switch checked.