Car Won't Start — What It Usually Is, and What It Costs

"Won't start" splits into two different problems: the engine doesn't spin (no-crank), or it spins but won't fire (crank-no-start). Which one you have points at different parts — and the outcomes below show where these visits actually land.

What it actually turns out to be

The fix involved	Share of visits*	Typical cost†	Median
Car Battery	23.1%	$140 – $314	$206
Starter	21.5%	$267 – $494	$370
Fuel Pump	17.3%	$380 – $829	$600
Fuel Filter	13.4%	$134 – $436	$256
Spark Plugs	8.0%	$170 – $474	$296
Sensor	6.3%	$180 – $433	$287
Distributor	5.2%	$242 – $533	$388
Alternator	5.0%	$302 – $563	$414
Module / Actuator	4.8%	$255 – $698	$414
Other, rarer causes	smaller shares	varies	—

*Share of visits whose repair involved this part. Combined repairs count toward each part involved, so shares overlap and don't add up to 100%. Among visits that ended in a parts repair.
†Middle half of real invoices (25th–75th percentile) when this was the only fix — parts + labor, all vehicle types.

Specific versions of this problem

Some flavors of this complaint point at different parts — each of these pages has its own odds and real repair reports:

• Car Clicks or Does Nothing, Won't Start
• Car Cranks But Won't Start

This problem on specific vehicles

On these vehicles the mix of causes differs from the all-vehicle table above — on many, the most likely fix is a different one. Each page has that vehicle’s own odds and costs:

• Chevrolet C/K 1500 — most often Fuel Pump
• Chevrolet Impala — most often Car Battery
• Chevrolet S-10 — most often Fuel Pump
• Chevrolet Silverado 1500 — most often Starter
• Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD — most often Fuel Filter
• Chevrolet Suburban 1500 — most often Fuel Pump
• Chevrolet Tahoe — most often Fuel Pump
• Dodge Ram 1500 — most often Fuel Pump
• Ford Escape — most often Car Battery
• Ford Explorer — most often Fuel Pump
• Ford F-150 — most often Fuel Pump
• Ford F-250 — most often Starter
• Ford F-350 — most often Starter
• Ford Mustang — most often Fuel Pump
• Ford Ranger — most often Fuel Pump
• Ford Taurus — most often Starter
• Honda Accord — most often Starter
• Honda Civic — most often Starter
• Honda CR-V — most often Starter
• Jeep Cherokee — most often Car Battery
• Jeep Grand Cherokee — most often Starter
• Jeep Wrangler — most often Starter
• Nissan Altima — most often Car Battery
• Toyota Camry — most often Car Battery
• Toyota Corolla — most often Starter

Real repair reports

These are recent, paid visits for this complaint — the words as the owner said them, and what it turned out to be.

Car owners said

More owner reports

What the technician found

Click or silence when you turn the key

A single click or nothing at all is the no-crank family: battery, battery connections, or the starter. If lights and radio are strong but you get one click, suspicion shifts toward the starter — the most common outcome of all no-start visits.

Cranks but won't fire

If the engine spins normally but never catches, it has spark, fuel, or compression missing. The fuel pump is the classic finding — especially if the car dies at highway speed first or starts only sometimes.

Starts sometimes, dead other mornings

Intermittent starting with a jump box in your trunk is the battery/charging family. A battery test takes minutes and settles whether it's the battery itself or the alternator failing to recharge it.

Costs by vehicle

• Starter: Ford F-150 · Honda Accord · Ford Taurus
• Car Battery: Ford F-150 · Chevrolet Silverado 1500 · Toyota Camry
• Alternator: Ford F-150 · Toyota Camry · Honda Odyssey

Take this to the shop

The FixDozer Diagnosis Brief puts this page on one printable sheet: what this complaint usually turns out to be, how often, and what each fix should cost — so when the diagnosis comes back, you already know whether the number fits.

Download the Diagnosis Brief (PDF)

View it online · Narrow it down for your vehicle