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Clicking noise when starting the car

Stop driving and get help if you notice any of these:

  • The brake pedal sinks, feels soft, or the car takes longer to stop; or you hear metal grinding when braking
  • The steering feels loose, pulls hard, or a wheel wobbles or clunks
  • Smoke, a burning smell, or any fluid leaking that smells like fuel
  • A red warning light for brakes, oil pressure or engine temperature, or a flashing check-engine light
  • A loud bang or clunk followed by a change in how the car handles

Pull over where it is safe, turn off the engine, and arrange a tow to a repair shop. If there is fire or smoke inside the car, get everyone out and call 911.

This is general information, not a diagnosis. Only a qualified mechanic who inspects your car can tell you what is wrong.

Clicks while trying to start the engine.

A rapid click when you turn the key or press start usually means the starter is being asked to work but is not getting enough electrical power, or is failing. A weak battery is a common suspect, so what the dash lights do while you try is a useful clue.

Sources and limits

How this guide is made: we write these guides with the help of AI tools and check the facts about car parts against published sources listed on each page. Most sources do not confirm the link between a part and a specific noise. These guides are not written or reviewed by a certified mechanic.

More warning signs for this sound

What to do now

Do not drive or recreate a noise just to compare it with this guide.

Follow the stop-driving guidance above.

Common causes

This is general information, not a diagnosis. Only a qualified mechanic who inspects your car can tell you what is wrong.

These are possible causes, not a ranked list. Cause order does not show likelihood. The noise connections are our general summary. The linked sources explain the parts and, only where noted, the sound. Labels are deliberately cautious, because a description can't show how far a fault has gone. They are not findings about your car. The same part can carry a different label on another page, for example where the sound itself is a stop-driving warning sign or where a row also names another part. If anything in the stop-driving box applies, follow that first. Stop-and-tow conditions appear first; the remaining names are alphabetical. Safety badges describe priorities, not likelihood or permission to keep driving.

NHTSA complaint counts and recalls

Use NHTSA’s vehicle lookup to check complaint counts for your make, model and model year. No vehicle-specific counts or recall results are displayed on this page.

Component labels to look for: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM; ENGINE.

Complaints are reports from owners and are not verified by NHTSA. Counts are not defect rates or proof that a problem exists.

Check NHTSA vehicle complaint countsCheck recalls by VIN at NHTSA

Check open recalls for your exact vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Enter a VIN only on NHTSA’s site; we do not collect it.

The retrieved data used here consists only of component labels, not your vehicle’s counts or recall status.

Recall, complaint and vehicle data: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) public APIs, retrieved 2026-11-05. This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by NHTSA or the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Before an inspection

Tell a repair shop what the sound is like, when you first noticed it and any warning lights or handling changes. This guide does not provide repair steps or identify a single fault. Follow the stop-driving guidance above.

Send a correction if a fact or source needs attention.

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