Engine shuts off while driving

I helped my daughter buy a 2003 Santa Fe 3 months ago. Her engine has now shut off 6 times while she is driving (one time on the freeway). The dealer claims they can't find the problem and wants her to not restart her engine and have the car towed. I told her no way to stay in the middle of the road like a sitting duck. Is anyone else having this problem......any ideas?

I'm no mechanic but, If it stops while driving it sounds like the auto shut off feature to the fuel line that most cars have in case of an accident, or it could also be that the ETACS is sending a signal out to the vehicles immobilizer control system unit.
But it could also be just that you may have water in your fuel filter. It could be any number of things, but regardless I would not have taken the vehicle back if it happened more than once. I would tell them either they get it fixed or you will start proceedings in regard to lemon laws. Its your daughter or who ever is driving the vehicle at the time that is at risk and an engine stopping just like that while driving is a major safety issue. So I would leave it at the dealership until they find and fix the problem. In the mean time while they are fixing the vehicle they should be giving you a loaner.

I checked webtech and did not find any tsb or notice to the effect of the engine just stopping like you discribed, but thats not to say you may be the first to have this problem.

I am curious to know what the codes were if any that were logged at the time of the shut down, if any codes were logged (I am sure there was) it could indicate where the problem is coming from.
hmmm I'm curious as to see how this turns out.
Keep us informed.

After calling Hyundai customer relations at 800-633-5151 and got a case #, it got the attention of the manager at the dealership. The dealer just happened to have a Hyundai representative at their location today and determined it was the EGR Silinoid (I hope I spelled that right), with makes the engine shut off as well as make the car run rough. He told me this does not show up on their advanced computer analysis, so they would have never detected it electronically. Hopefully, this will fix the problem. My daughter loves her car and is very happy with the results so far.

I'm glad they got it fixed. Keep us posted if anything else happens.
TS out

It happened again last week. Hyundai replaced a few parts "in good will" to try to resolve the issue. They have no idea what the problem is. This time she did not start the car and had it towed. No codes came up on the car, so they are stumped. I think they replaced a fuel pump relay and and a ER or EM relay (I think).
They also idled the car up a little more. Hopefully this will do it. Because this is a big safety issue, it concerns me. Next time it happens, the car is going.......

My 2001 Santa Fe with the 2.7 Liter had the same problem...it's actually a factory recall. I don't know if it involves 2003 models. The Camshaft Position Censor was put in incorrectly, and causes the engine to stall.

Hope that helps

I Am Having The Problem Again, I Think I Will Turn Back In The Vehicle. Unsafe To Drive It.

I just bought a 2003 with 19000 miles on it that has shut off twice while driving. Once at a traffic light while I waited to turn, and the other in a traffic jam on the Interstate. Thankfully I was stopped both times.

The dealer cannot find a problem - no code, no clue, etc.

The engine stops so quickly that it seems to be an electrical problem. (no stutter, cough, or hick-up - just like I switched the key off). So I'm thinking it might be a throttle position sensor (gone bad or just a bad connection). I also know that the 2002's had a notice issued regarding a problem with cam shaft position sensor. My dealer says there are no notices on the 2003's.

I'll keep you all posted. - Bill

if they cant fix it the third time automatic buyback and its the crankshaft position senser that was updated most of the time that causes the motor to just quit (ckp)located above starter just curion jhanses what motor is in your santa fe (ckp applies to 2.7) other problems exist with the 4cyl inthe santa fe.......

I haven't had it stall on my again, but I have been noticing suspicious gear shifts that seem a tad rough. i'm fairly light footed (easy drive) and so gear shifts are usually not noticalbe. periodically I feel somewhat harsh shifts between 2nd and 3rd at about 42 mph.

WORSE - twice while driving onthe interstate (these past two months), at 70 mph in Cruise Control, the vehicle had done something quite alarming, and I believe related to the prior stalling problem. In a total time that is only a fraction of a second, the engine seems to stop, then restart/continue running. When this happens the whole vehicle will bang/thump loudly as the power is returned to the drive train. It's as hard and as loud as if I'd hit a chuck-hole at high speed (not uncommon in Michigan!).

Any ideas or suggestions anyone? - WD Squared

I have a 1986 Chevy s10 pickup 2wd, first time this has happend but the engine cut off on me while driving, luckily no cars were around me, and I had enough speed to pull it to an open parking spot, I was only a mile away from my house, so I had to walk home. I tried reegiting the engine but it just kept trying to turn, there is fuel in the truck, oil looked decent, no loose wires that I could notice, WHAT is going on, what can I do?

i have an 05 grand prix with 130XXX thousand miles on it. it shuts off while drivin and it only shuts off when im on the hwy and thats just pissin me off cuz i took it to 2 different mechanics and its not even fixed yet , they changed 5 different parts and it keeps on shuttin off. idk wt to do!!

I have a 2004 Sante Fe, and I have the same problem. I finance my car through Brown Daub and they also cannot find a problem. It has been about 3 months my car will shut down anywhere from stalling to driving on the highway going from 80 to 0 mph in two seconds to were in the beginning I was able to rev to make it kick back in. The dealer ship told me there are no history codes showing on the vehicle. Also because the check engine light is not on they cannot get a diagnosis so they are also stumped of why it does not work. I makes me upset I pay 300 and some change a month for a vehicle that is not safe for myself of family. When my vehicle shuts down it does not always start back up it can take up to half our to get going. Other times it will stall I can put it in park and start it back up. I should have just but a used car out right instead of financing a used one. I have payed 6,00 already towards vehicle and put at least 600 into it for a vehicle Ive only had for a year so much for an extended warranty. The problem with the lemon law is that in most states your warranty has to be through the direct manufacturer so in my case I cannot go under lemon law because the vehicle being used it through a third party warranty. My advise is to call the attorney general for your state I am in Pennsylvania and they sent me out a form to do an investigation. I have not followed through with the investigation yet as we speak my car is at Brown Daub for about the 8th time to see if they can find the problem. I think this is my last time of hoping to find the problem to fix it is wrong that I have to pay a loan for a vehicle that cannot be fixed and like I said unsafe for my three children and myself considering I am pregnant. Out of all vehicles owned this is the worst one.

A common problem on these cars (and others) is a faulty crankshaft position sensor. The problem tends to show up after about 5 years and 60K miles, but it also may go much longer before it happens. For example, my '01 Santa Fe V6 has never had this problem, but others have.

I am having this problem too. I only had a 2010 Honda Accord for two days and while driving down the highway everything suddenly shut down. The truck behind me just missed hitting me and I avoided a very serious accident. The dealership won't return my calls. The service department said their computer is not showing anything wrong. I am now forced to drive a car that is not fixed. There's not even 100 miles on it. Any ideas on what I can do will be appreciated. This car is unsafe to drive.

I am extremelly insterested to know if the problem reported by jhansen got resolved somehow on his/her Hyundai Santa Fe 2003.... I am having the same problem right now, no check engine light, and the engine shuts down while driving once in a while...... Can't fix it because the computer isn't capturing any error code at all.....If you have the solution please send me an email. Appreciate it.

most likely its a faulty crankshaft position sensor. there is a TSB for that and they Dealership should be able to fix it.

TS

i have an 05 grand prix with 130XXX thousand miles on it. it shuts off while drivin and it only shuts off when im on the hwy and thats just pissin me off cuz i took it to 2 different mechanics and its not even fixed yet , they changed 5 different parts and it keeps on shuttin off. idk wt to do!!

They try the fuel pump ?

most likely its a faulty crankshaft position sensor. there is a TSB for that and they Dealership should be able to fix it.

TS

Many cars come in the shop shutting off , Bad crankshaft position sensor . They over heat and lose the signal .

I helped my daughter buy a 2003 Santa Fe 3 months ago. Her engine has now shut off 6 times while she is driving (one time on the freeway). The dealer claims they can't find the problem and wants her to not restart her engine and have the car towed. I told her no way to stay in the middle of the road like a sitting duck. Is anyone else having this problem......any ideas?

It might be the problem with the extraction of sufficient fuel to the engine.Please make it check with the help of well-trained and experienced mechanic.

florida online traffic school (http://www.drivertrainingassociates.com)
new york defensive driving course (http://www.drivertrainingassociates.com)

I just recently bought a 99 Grand Cherokee from a private seller after having my car totalled in an accident. Of course the woman told me there was nothing wrong with it, she just wanted to buy something nicer... and apparently she was lying. Since the day after I brought it home it has been shutting off on me while driving, while sitting in park, and while sitting stopped at a light or in traffic. It seems to idle a little rough, but other than that I havent really noticed anything. It doesn't give any warning or making any odd noises, it just instantly shuts off. At first it would only do it while I was sitting stopped at a light or in my driveway, and it would crank right back up. But now its gotten to where it does it even while driving down the road, and it takes it a while before it will start back up for me. It also now will sort of slip while Im driving. It will lose power and the RPM will gradually go down, but if I rev the engine it will catch and the RPM will jump back up to normal. Other times it just drops straight to 0 and dies. Earlier today is the first time Ive gotten in it to go somewhere and it didn't crank right up, it took about 10 minutes for it to start. It has brand new spark plugs, oil change a month ago, and my boyfriend just put a brand new fuel pump in it last week. Also had the fuel injectors tested and they are fine. What could cause this??

i own a 1995 nissan maxima.lately when i drivint it,it stops running.when i start car,i have to push shifter ahead just a fraction.it then starts.would this issue,cause engine to stall?

is that sensor magnatized? if it is,i had it replaced afew years ago

I too have a 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe 4CL and twice the engine has powered off for no reason; once at a stop light and the other driving about 10mph. Since no check engine light is showing the mechanics can't pin point the problem. The engine has revved up while idle and driving on the hwy. Scary since I drive 66 miles RT each day to work. If this has happened to you please let me know how you fixed and if the problems have ceased. Thanks!

Hey cballar,

I got the same thing for 10 years. it just shut off engine while driving.
and no check engine and battery light. so I cannot start the car without resetting ECU.
I have changed a lof of parts like ignition coil, ignition switch, main engine relay, head relay. just no luck.

what was the fix?

I appreciate if you share your case.

Thanks,

John

hey guys i have the same problem. I have a 1999 Toyota Camry 2.2L Automatic. The engine starts without any problem during morning or anytime of the day but the engine cuts off after running it a few kilometers (as if you turned the ignition off) without any warning at all. :disappoin

But i have not experienced it while running at highspeed. (That would be really scary)

It only dies (cuts off) when its on 'D' and if your slowly moving on bad traffic. when you turn the ignition on it STARTS right up without any problem.

No check engine light.
Temp guage is in normal position.

Did some experiment in my garage i put it on Park while engine is running for 15 mins-- engine does not cut off

Did it in reverse did not cut off as well

put it on Neutral same result.

But on D (while stepping on the brake pedal) engine quits after several minutes.... :banghead:

could it be a bad crankshaft sensor? but it starts right away after i turn the ignition on.

Fuel pump? does not choke shake or rattle before it dies.

the funny thing is the idle is ok. have not experienced any rough idling :crying:

Would really appreciate it if anyone of you could help me resolve this problem. it would save me money on parts that does not need to be replced and labor cost.

So how bout this,,, reading through I only see things about stalling, however. I have an 03 hyundai XG350, does not matter what speed you are traveling the engine loses power (stalls) with no sputter or anything. Then a short time later it regains power about a sec or two. And on occasion when turning it will stall and needs go be restarted...starts every time no problem, No codes and nothing I do can duplicate this, just happens on it's own when it wants.... Any ideas I'm at a loss :confused::banghead:

I just recently bought a 99 Grand Cherokee from a private seller after having my car totalled in an accident. Of course the woman told me there was nothing wrong with it, she just wanted to buy something nicer... and apparently she was lying. Since the day after I brought it home it has been shutting off on me while driving, while sitting in park, and while sitting stopped at a light or in traffic. It seems to idle a little rough, but other than that I havent really noticed anything. It doesn't give any warning or making any odd noises, it just instantly shuts off. At first it would only do it while I was sitting stopped at a light or in my driveway, and it would crank right back up. But now its gotten to where it does it even while driving down the road, and it takes it a while before it will start back up for me. It also now will sort of slip while Im driving. It will lose power and the RPM will gradually go down, but if I rev the engine it will catch and the RPM will jump back up to normal. Other times it just drops straight to 0 and dies. Earlier today is the first time Ive gotten in it to go somewhere and it didn't crank right up, it took about 10 minutes for it to start. It has brand new spark plugs, oil change a month ago, and my boyfriend just put a brand new fuel pump in it last week. Also had the fuel injectors tested and they are fine. What could cause this??
You need to put this on the jeep forum.
If this is a 5.2 Chrysler engine I would check the camshaft position on the side of the distributor if it has one. Also a camshaft position on the rear of engine if it doesn't have a distributor I still would try a camshaft position sensor.
They have done some changes since 1997.

Greetings,

I am having the same problem. I have a Nissan Sentra, 2007, 155K miles. The car turns itself off when I stop. All panel lights remain on. I also noticed that the gear stop shifting when I reach 60miles. Any suggestion?

Thanks

Greetings,

I am having the same problem. I have a Nissan Sentra, 2007, 155K miles. The car turns itself off when I stop. All panel lights remain on. I also noticed that the gear stop shifting when I reach 60miles. Any suggestion?

Thanks
Advance Auto and Auto Zone will scan your engine free I would stop and get a free scan it should set a code when it shuts down.

My 2003 Santa Fe has shut off while at a stop once, no lights came on and it started right back up. I wouldn't be too concerned but then about 2 weeks later something very similar happened to what "WD squared" described above:

"While driving on the highway, at 70 mph, the vehicle had done something quite alarming, and I believe related to the prior stalling problem. In a total time that is only a fraction of a second, the engine seems to stop, then restart/continue running. When this happens the whole vehicle will bang/thump loudly as the power is returned to the drive train."

I'm hoping to catch this problem before anything worse happens, but want to avoid paying lots of money in diagnostic fees, so please let me know your suggestions!

Additionally, my car never starts right away after I get gas. It turns over about 3 times before it will stay on for good. Any chance these things could be related?

Thanks!

i have an 05 grand prix with 130XXX thousand miles on it. it shuts off while drivin and it only shuts off when im on the hwy and thats just pissin me off cuz i took it to 2 different mechanics and its not even fixed yet , they changed 5 different parts and it keeps on shuttin off. idk wt to do!!
I think GM has ignition switch problems.

My 2003 Santa Fe has shut off while at a stop once, no lights came on and it started right back up. I wouldn't be too concerned but then about 2 weeks later something very similar happened to what "WD squared" described above:

"While driving on the highway, at 70 mph, the vehicle had done something quite alarming, and I believe related to the prior stalling problem. In a total time that is only a fraction of a second, the engine seems to stop, then restart/continue running. When this happens the whole vehicle will bang/thump loudly as the power is returned to the drive train."

I'm hoping to catch this problem before anything worse happens, but want to avoid paying lots of money in diagnostic fees, so please let me know your suggestions!

Additionally, my car never starts right away after I get gas. It turns over about 3 times before it will stay on for good. Any chance these things could be related?

Thanks!
Clean the ground wire where it bolts onto the frame clean & remove paint put a little grease on it when done.
On a 2.7L the crankshaft sensor is above the starter disconnect ground wire and the plate covering the starter and replace if cleaning the ground doesn't fix it. The other problem check the EGR system.

The very same problem ( engine shuts off while driving ) happened with me twice today in a hyundai accent 2010 1.6. In my case it was the crank sensor that has malfunctioned. I had it replaced and now all are ok. However there may be other reasons to the same problem. Check with mechanic.

Hyundai has some problems with crank sensor shutting down. Go to Advance or Auto Zone and have the codes pulled the crank sensor will normally set a code. This is a free test at the parts store.

Try replacing the crank shaft sensor or the ignition coil, I would try the crank shaft sensor first as it's the most likely and it's cheaper

Oh ps the codes don't show up so times for the crank shaft sensor and ignition coil

For those with Hyundai try replacing the purge vale. About a forty dollar piece and a easy fix.

http://www.samarins.com/glossary/purge-valve.html

I just bought a 2003 with 25000 miles on it that has shut off twice while driving. Once at a traffic light while I was turning and the other time in a traffic jam.