2004 Toyota Corolla Matrix won't start

For some reason my 2004 Toyota Corolla Matrix won’t start. No warnings or issues with starting before this. When trying to start I don’t hear any sound coming from the starter. Inside the car I can hear relay clicks coming from the left of the stearing wheel and on the right side behind the glove box. My battery and alternator were replaced several months ago and I believe they are fine. I can turn my lights on and they don’t get dim or flicker or anything when trying to start. My batter shows around 12.5 volts when measuring. It seems like the starter may be dead or not getting power. Could this be a relay went bad? Do starters give signs of going or just instantly stop working? There have been no warning signs to let me know this was going to happen.

Please let me know your thoughts or if you had this issue and what it was. Especially if it happened with a similar year Corolla or Matrix.

Probably is the starter. If you do the work yourself, remove the starter, take it to a chain parts store, and have them test it. If it’s bad, they will tell you. If you have a shop do it, just get it towed to the shop and let them take care of it. They will check everything and find the problem.

Whold a chain store be honest? There are two near me that are. I’ve taken components (alternator, battery) to them thinking they were broken, and the test showed they weren’t.

Turn the ignition on so the dash lights come on, step on the brake pedal and shift the transmission into neutral and then try starting the engine.

If the engine starts, it points to a problem with the park/neutral safety switch.

https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/toyota,2004,corolla,1.8l+l4,1432915,electrical-switch+&+relay,neutral+safety+switch+/+range+sensor,4584

Tester

1 Like

My friend thought it was the starter and suggested I tap on the starter with a hammer and see if it starts. First try tapping with the hammer and still nothing. Second time and nothing. The third time I tapped with the hammer then pressed on the cable going to the starter. It started. I think I made a mistake because I’m wondering if the cable had something to do with it or is the starter bad? Anyways I’m open to anybodies thoughts on this. By the way I started it 4 times since then without any issues.

Clean all the cable ends because it can’t hurt and might actually be the problem.

1 Like

Just an update… I’ve been using the car without any issues since then. I did take off the connector and then put it back on. Since that time I’ve probably started the car about 100 times.

1 Like

Yes,the wire that goes from the ignition switch to the starter solonoid is prone to rust at the connection.Clean the connection with sandpaper then put a dab of dielectric grease to protect it.

1 Like