P0512Starter Request Circuit
- Generic OBD-II code · Powertrain
- Turns on the check-engine light
- Needs a drive cycle to confirm a fix
- How the car detects it
- The engine module reads a start request – from the ignition switch, a start button via the body module, or start-stop – and drives the starter relay with it. P0512 flags a fault in this signal. Subaru (also in the Saab 9-2X) checks plausibility: if the engine runs above 500 rpm and the start signal stays active for more than 3 minutes, a short or sticking switch is assumed, MIL after two trips. On a Jeep Cherokee diesel a chafed harness caused P0512 with a no-start. The starter then does not crank – or with a short to positive keeps running.
- What you may notice
- Engine does not start, starter does not crank
- Starter keeps running after the start (noise)
- Check engine light (Subaru after two trips)
- Likely causes
- LikelyIgnition or start switch, or start button, faulty or sticking
- PossibleHarness chafed, short to ground or positive
- RareSelector or clutch switch in the start path
- RareStarter relay sticking
- Repair
- Medium · Often possible to do yourself.Typical cost: €30 – €400
- Related codes
Explanation from obdex (CC0), exactly as the app shows it. Guidance only; confirm with a workshop.