An apparatus for starting an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle with improved control unit

The invention relates to a device for starting an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle, having a starter motor, a starter relay, a starting current relay, a main relay, a control unit and disposed between said relay and the control unit switching module. The control unit is an engine control unit of the motor vehicle. The switching module has inputs which are each connected to an output of the engine control unit, and outputs are provided to which control signals for the said relay. The outputs of the engine control unit are low level outputs.