On todays program a young woman stated that when she turned the ignition key to start her engine all she got was a click. I believe Tom & Ray’s diagnosis was a worn starter motor. When this used to happen to my car (with standard gearbox) in years gone bye it was because the starter motor lug (terminology?) had stuck in the flywheel teeth instead of springing back again. The solution was to put the car into a forward gear and push the car backwards a few feet. This always released the starter motor so it could function. While an automatic gearbox might prevent one from using this solution, wouldn’t the cause of the problem be the same?
If the bendix teeth (or tooth) were chipped or broken, creating a jagged edge it may get stuck in the flywheel.
A faulty starter solenoid wouldn’t operate the bendix properly, same goes for bad battery cable connections at the battery/ground or at the starter.
Most ‘clicks’ are from bad batteries or bad cable connections.
Let’s face it, how many drivers actually can be bothered to remove/clean and replace wrench tight the starter end of the cable?