It happens all to often; "this morning I went to start my car and it just cranked" or "My car started misfiring (or check engine light came on)since the last time I drove it". This is especially true in more rural areas. One of the most common causes of such issues (particularly on vehicles that aren't driven regularly) are rodents chewing up wires. They also have a tendency to build nests that will clog intakes, block airflow into the radiator or in the HVAC box, or even start fires on exhaust manifolds.

If you live in an area that has an abundance of mice, rabbits or other destructive rodents, one of the best preventive measures can be a cat (or small dog) that will kill or at least fend off these terrible vermin.