P0817Starter Disable Circuit/Open
- Generic OBD-II code · Powertrain
- Needs a drive cycle to confirm a fix
- How the car detects it
- The starter disable line carries the signal 'park or neutral – start allowed' from the transmission module, or its built-in range switch, to the body or engine module, which only then releases the starter. On Saab's 2010 9-5 automatic the line is open in a drive range (0 V at the body module) and closed in P or N (12 V). P0817 is the general or open-circuit fault of this line. Saab sets it when the output reports 'start allowed' but the feedback shows 'off' for more than 100 ms, twice in a row, with 6–16 V and no limp mode; it rates the fault type D, without any lamp. The engine then cannot be started. Low and high are P081A and P081B; vehicles that send the start release over a bus often report similar faults as U codes or P0850.
- What you may notice
- Engine does not crank in P or N
- Start possible in only one of the two ranges
- No check engine lamp
- Likely causes
- LikelyStarter disable wire to the body module open or shorted
- PossibleConnector corroded or pins pushed back
- PossibleTransmission module with built-in range switch faulty
- RareBody module faulty
- Repair
- Medium · Usually a job for a workshop.Typical cost: €100 – €1,200
- Related codes
Explanation from obdex (CC0), exactly as the app shows it. Guidance only; confirm with a workshop.