In order to study the corrosion damage mechanism and tensile properties of cracked cable steel wires in bridges, the corroded high-strength steel wires with preset a crack were investigated by arc cutting method, neutral salt spray corrosion test, tensile test, electron microscope test and finite element analysis. An method for evaluating the tensile mechanical properties of steel wires with cracks was proposed. The results show that the stress concentration coefficient of the notch is much larger than that of the normal corrosion pit, and the change of the mechanical properties of the steel wire is caused by the further corrosion of the initial crack. The finite element model of initial crack steel wire can well describe the relationship of mass loss rate, the cross-sectional area loss rate and the ultimate strength obtained from the neutral salt spray corrosion test and the static tension test.