My car won't start! When I depress the brake pedal it's takes a lot more pressure to press it than it normally does when starting, I called AAA and they changed the battery, but they still aren't able to get it to start when turning it off and on again. They said it may be the starter, alternator, wiring, or any number of things. Has anyone had this problem before? My car is a 2016 model year with about 58,000 miles.

 

Any specific noise it makes when trying to start?

Is there anything in the way of the brake pedal?

 

Does the car crank over at all? Or does nothing happen when you press the Brake pedal and press the Start button?

The brake pedal being hard is normal...with the vehicle off, if you press the pedal a few times it will usually get rock hard. There is no vacuum assist for the power brakes at that point, and you've now pressurized the hydraulic system.
Once the vehicle starts, the pedal will return to the normal feeling.

 

Curious about your responses to these questions posted above. Did AAA replace the existing battery with a brand new one or just jumped the existing battery? If they gave you a brand new (assuming charged) battery and the car still doesn't start then it's definitely something with the battery connection/wiring with the rest of the car. I would first check the at rest voltage that you're getting out of the battery - if it shows anything below 12V, it's the battery not providing enough juice to start your car. If that checks out fine, then it's time to troubleshoot the other potential culprits like alternator and the starter as you mentioned.

 

How far can you depress the brake pedal? If it won't go down enough to be sensed, it may not start because it thinks your foot is not on the brake. I would try to start it using the process that doesn't involve the brake pedal.

Put the ignition to accessory (not ON). Then, without pushing on the brake pedal, hold the start button down for about 12-15 seconds.

 

Assuming it's not the battery and it was tested properly, it is likely not "the wiring" (unless a rat chewed it) and definitely not the alternator.

The likeliest is the starter, which would be surprising on such a new car, but it could happen.

But would be helpful to know what the car is actually doing when you try to start it. Does the engine crank over? then it's not the starter.

Does it crank but not turn over and run? Then look at the fuel pump (or less likely, ignition system, coil, plugs)

Does it click when you try to start but no cranking at all? Lights dim or flickering? then consider battery, terminals loose. The battery would still test awesome if the terminals were loose.

Inspect for any obvious damage like rat chewed wires.

But if I have to tell you these things, then you probably aren't keen on DIY and likely best leaving this to a mechanic.

 

They gave me a new battery, but the guy said it was sitting in the truck for a few months so it had to get jumped when first starting. After getting it home and waiting overnight, it starts up again right now like normal, but I'm just afraid if I'll get stranded at night after getting off work. It may just needed to get charged again? The car just made a few clicking noises when trying to start every time yesterday, so I don't think it was cranking over, but I'm not to familiar with this kind of stuff.

 

It clicks, but no cranking. The code reader when tested yesterday said it was the battery and charging system and they said the charging system error may be the result of a bad battery. I'm hoping the battery just needed to be charged from the drive home. Definitely the terminals are not loose as I saw them get tightened, there was some corrosion on one of them though

 

Likely the battery then. Click, no crank is textbook battery. 4-5 year mark is about time. doesn't mean your charging system is bad (though it could be) it's just old car battery doing old car battery things.

 

It was just weird cause after they replaced it with a new battery it still had the issue, but again they said the new battery was sitting in the truck for a few months so maybe it just needed a charge as well

 

The clicking noise is just the starter trying to crank the engine, but not having enough juice from the battery.
It sounds like it was just a battery issue.
Although the guy giving you a dead battery really doesn't inspire confidence.
After some good drives the alternator will charge the battery completely, even though that's not really it's job.

You can easily clean mild corrosion with a mixture of water and baking soda...like a cup of water to a teaspoon of baking soda.
Just slowly pour it on the corrosion and watch it fizzle away. Repeat as necessary.

 

^ Agree with the points above. It seems your problem is likely the battery - even an originally 'fully' charged battery that sits still discharges without being in use. So as others mentioned, batteries like anything else has a certain shelf-life and some types once completely drained don't tolerate attempts to jump it. Batteries not meant to be fully drained then recharged typically don't hold their charge or causes it to hold a weak charge - in that case, despite being unused, the battery may not have enough power to start the car.

If I were you, I'd get a new battery from a reputable shop that fits the car to be on the safe side.

 

Sounds like Battery...if you can get a volt meter (like $10 bucks almost anywhere), check the voltage across the battery poles while car is off and while it's running.

When the car is running you're measuring the alternators voltage which should be around 14 volts, if it is then the alternator is good.
When the car is off, you're measuring the battery's voltage which should be around 12 volts when fully charged.
Leave the car off for a few hours and check the voltage again and if it's falling below 12 volts, then it's the battery or a wire problem. But almost always it's the battery, just consider wiring problems to be a diagnosis of exclusion. If your're really paranoid then you can completely disconnect the battery from the car before you measure it again in few hours, then if the voltage is dropping it has to be the battery.

My old 03 Audi A4 1.8t used to startup at even 8 volts.
My current 14 IS250 F-sport did not even start up when the battery was at 10 volts so it can vary from car to car what charge the battery needs to be to charge, and the temperature is a huge factor as well because even bad batteries may be asymptomatic during warm seasons and discharge a lot faster during cold months.

If you're getting a new battery make sure to get battery group # 24 which is recommended for your car. Should be around 650-700 cranking amps.