P0616Starter Relay A Circuit Low
- 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 switches the starter relay coil through its own driver – GM petrol engines with 12 V stop-start use a low-side driver, the Saab 9-4X switches 12 V to the coil. CARB requires output components to be checked for open and short circuits. GM sets the codes after two trips on stop-start engines, while GM diesels (2016) and the Saab 9-4X store them without the check engine light. At Ford an active starter code blocks stop-start. P0616 means the control wire is shorted to ground: GM detects 0.5 Ω or less to ground with the driver off (8 of 10 samples in 2018 and 2025, 40 of 50 in 2019). With a low-side driver the short can energise the relay permanently; with a high-side driver (Saab) the relay no longer pulls in. Saab's check: a test lamp across the coil terminals must flash during cranking.
- What you may notice
- Engine does not crank
- Stop-start disabled
- Possibly blown fuse in the relay circuit
- Check engine light only with some makers
- Likely causes
- LikelyControl wire chafed through and shorted to ground
- PossibleRelay coil shorted internally
- PossibleMoisture or corrosion in the relay or fuse box
- RareDriver in the engine module faulty
- Repair
- Easy · Often possible to do yourself.Typical cost: €15 – €300
- Related codes
Explanation from obdex (CC0), exactly as the app shows it. Guidance only; confirm with a workshop.