Q: What causes an ignition relay to go bad?

asked by on October 02, 2016

One day my car started stalling while I was driving. I would pull off then try to start it and it would start and everything was fine. Then it kept getting worse. Then wouldn't start at all. One the mechanic put in an ignition relay and it worked. Then after two months would not start so I put another relay in. I just put my 3rd one in yesterday and after one day it will not start. help!

My car has 155000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.

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Hi, thanks for your question. If the relay is not making a good contact inside the relay socket, I suggest inspecting the old relays that came out and see if one or more of the pins look like they got hot or discolored. You may need to replace the socket pins. If you would like help, consider having an expert automotive technician from YourMechanic come to your home or office to inspect and diagnose this issue for you, and make or suggest any repairs as needed.

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