P0616: Starter Relay A Circuit Low
What to do
If you hear grinding or whirring after the engine has started, switch off immediately — that is the starter still engaged, and it will destroy itself and possibly the flywheel ring gear within seconds. Otherwise driveable, but have it repaired promptly.
What this code means
The starter relay circuit is reading low — a short to ground, or a relay whose contacts have welded closed. The welded case is the one to catch quickly: a starter engaged while the engine runs is destroyed in seconds and can damage the ring gear as well.
A loud grinding or whirring after the engine has started is that happening, and warrants stopping immediately.
Likely causes
Start here
- Failed starter relay · easy
- Signal wire shorted to ground · moderate
Less common
- Corroded relay socket · easy
Rare
- Control module driver failure · specialist
Symptoms
Components involved
Information, not instruction
CarGeek is a reference, not a service manual. Its pages are written from public sources and from what other people have found, never from a manufacturer's own service information, so they can be wrong or incomplete for your particular vehicle. Some of what they describe carries real risk: high voltage, fuel under pressure, stored energy, hot and moving parts.
Have anything you intend to act on checked by a trained person against the manufacturer's own procedure for your vehicle. Nothing here replaces that procedure.
Community experience
Be the first to write this up
Nothing posted about this yet. Whatever you found is worth writing down — even a dead end saves someone the same afternoon.
What makes one worth reading:
- The car — make, model, year and engine. The same fault behaves differently on each.
- What you measured, not only what you replaced.
- What actually fixed it — or that nothing did, which is worth knowing too.
Sign in or create an account to add what you found about P0616.