Car wouldn't start last night - then started now (battery, cost, sensor)

[Home Addict]

It is probably not the battery since I could hear the cranking last night.

Could anyone give me some ideas as to what might be wrong, and the associated cost to fixing it?

It is a Mazda 6s, 2004.

Thank you.

[NJGOAT]

Mazda's from those years are known for issues with their crank position sensors. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. If that's the cause, then there should be a code stored in the ECM, which you could have scanned for free at an autoparts store. The fix is relatively cheap. Assuming that the starter and battery all check out, that would be the next place to look, especially on those cars.