P0617Starter Relay A Circuit High
- 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. P0617 means the control wire is shorted to battery voltage: GM detects it with the driver on, when the voltage stays high although the driver pulls to ground (40 of 50 samples in 2018 and 2025, 8 of 10 in 2019). With a high-side circuit such as the Saab's, the short can close the relay permanently and keep the starter turning – a risk for starter and ring gear; with a low-side circuit the relay loses its control.
- What you may notice
- Engine does not crank, or the starter keeps running
- Stop-start not working
- Battery drained
- Check engine light only with some makers
- Likely causes
- LikelyControl wire shorted to a battery feed (harness damage)
- PossibleRelay faulty internally (contact to coil, welded)
- RareVoltage fed in by retrofitted electrics (remote start, alarm)
- RareDriver in the engine module faulty
- Repair
- Easy · Often possible to do yourself.Typical cost: €15 – €400
- Related codes
Explanation from obdex (CC0), exactly as the app shows it. Guidance only; confirm with a workshop.