Nothing happens when you turn the key or press start: what to check

Start with the dash lights

Before anything else, see what the car does when you open the door or switch on the ignition. There are three common pictures:

• No dome light, no dash, no chime, nothing. The battery is completely drained, or a connection at the battery has come loose.
• The dash lights up but looks dim, or flickers and goes dark when you try to start. That is a weak battery.
• The dash is bright and normal, but the engine does nothing. The battery is probably fine, and the problem is in the starting circuit or a safety lockout.

The quick checks

Cars won't crank until a few conditions are met, and each one can pass for a dead car when it isn't:

• Automatic transmission: make sure the shifter is fully in Park, or try Neutral. A shifter that isn't seated in Park can block the start.
• Push-button start: press the brake pedal firmly while you press the button. A light foot on the pedal gets no response on many cars.
• Manual transmission: push the clutch pedal all the way to the floor.
• Key ignition: turn the steering wheel left and right while you turn the key, in case the steering lock is binding it.
• Push-button start with no response at all: a weak fob battery can do this. Hold the fob against the start button, or in the spot your manual shows.

Look at the battery clamps

Open the hood and look at the clamps on the battery posts. If someone was working in there recently, or a clamp turns by hand, the car can look completely dead even with a full battery. A thick crust of corrosion can do the same thing.

Check the ground cable too, the thick one that bolts to the car's body or the engine. If that one is loose, the whole car goes quiet. Some cars keep the battery in the trunk or under a seat. If yours does, the manual will point you to a jump terminal under the hood instead.

When it is the battery

A battery that is fully drained gives you no dome light, no chime and not even a click. A jump start brings that back, provided the battery can still take a charge. If the car starts and then fails again the next day, the battery needs replacing, not another jump.

A fully drained battery is also the one most likely to be damaged. If the car sat for weeks, or the battery was already old, a jump may wake the car and then fail to hold, which is worth knowing before you plan the rest of your day around it.

When it isn't

If the lights are bright and the car is still silent, a jump start won't help. A starter relay, an ignition switch, a blown fuse or a shifter switch can all do this, and finding which one is a repair shop job. We don't do mechanical repair.

If the car is dark, a jump start is $49–$75, plus the $19 dispatch fee added on top. Tell dispatch what the dash lights did when you tried. It helps the driver judge whether a jump is likely to wake the car.