There are a lot of reasons why your car won’t start, check the car yourself before calling for help. For starters, make sure the steering wheel isn’t locked. An empty gas tank is one of the reasons why your car won’t start. Even new cars can disappoint sometimes by failing to start. 

You should have some basic knowledge and equipment handy for at least escaping from serious damage. Turning the key or pressing the ignition key and then realizing nothing happening is an awful experience but you can know what might be causing the problem and take required actions. Here are some reasons `Why Your Car Isn’t Starting.

Bad or dead battery

One of the most common reasons cars don’t start is due to a dead or faulty battery. When you start the car, if the dashboard lights don’t turn on or hear the engine turning over, then it’s a sign your battery has died. If the car is working in a good condition then it may display the battery symbol which will give you a hint of where the problem lies. If you have a battery tester, check whether your battery is weak. If you don’t have one, try jumping your car with jumper cables.

Bad alternator

The alternator will recharge the battery and maintain the car’s electrical system running once the car has started. But if you have a bad alternator, the battery won’t function in the right way. You need to replace the bad alternator and fix it so you’ll want an expert to take a look.

Starter Motor

The starter motor is responsible for physically turning the engine over and getting the engine to fire. If there’s an issue in this, quickly fix it.

Clogged Fuel Filter

If the fuel filter is clogged, the gasoline can’t reach the engine. Fuel filters should be changed every 10,000 to 15,000 miles. Maintaining it properly can prevent serious damages and costly repairs.

Bad Ignition Switch

If your battery is working well, but your car doesn’t turn over on the first few tries then the culprit is the ignition switch. Turn on the headlights and try to narrow down this issue. The battery is the controller of your dashboard and headlights if they turn on, but your engine won’t start, then the problem is with an ignition switch.

Bad Timing Belt

The timing belt is a rubber strip that rotates the cam and crankshaft in the engine, if this fails the engine won’t run. You may hear the ticking sound from under the hood if the engine doesn’t turn over. The timing belt is the most important maintenance item in your engine. A bad timing belt can cause catastrophic engine damage.