To prevent a starting relay from smoking even if it is energized, by structurizing it such that its broken chip is not caught with a pair of contact springs when a built-in resistor element breaks.

In the starting relay where a resistive element 1 with a positive resistance temperature coefficient which is stored in a container 2 consisting of a hard resin of an electric insulator is pressed by contact springs 5 and 6 of power feeders 3 and 4 equipped with conductivity and elasticity thereby catching the resistive element 1 in conductive state, the contact springs 5 and 6 are equipped with barrels, two pieces of arms which are extended from the barrels, and separate pressing parts which are extended from the tip of each arm so as to press the resistive element, and also the pressing parts 5C1 and 5C2 of the contact spring 5 and the pressing parts 6C1 and 6C2 of the contact spring 6 are crossed to each other so that broken chips may not be caught with the contact springs 5 and 6 even if the caught resistive element 1 breaks.