Q: Car stalls at traffic lights

asked by on October 26, 2016

I have been having this issue since August, my car starts normally and drives fine but whenever I get at a stop light and I'm sitting at the light for more than a couple of minutes my car would slowly accelerate at best and at worst my car will completely stop and not move at all, everything would still be on and running but my car would be still. It's becoming a hassle to commute in my car and get anything done.

My car has 200k+ miles on it

My check engine light was on and it was my 02 sensors which I replaced and the light is off but that didn't help.

Transmission Fluid is fine.

I replaced the air filter and the car drove better but after being on the road for about 10-15 minutes it started stalling out at lights.

What could be any other possible issues I can fix?

My car has 200000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.

Idle Control Valve Replacement $162.54 - $1028.01 Get a Quote
Car is stalling Inspection $94.99 - $114.99 Get a Quote

If this is happening primarily at stop lights, it may be related to a dirty or faulty idle air control valve. This is a unit in your car’s intake system that monitors the flow of air into the engine and adjusts the air/fuel mixture accordingly. When this is not working properly, it may cause the engine control unit (ECU) to make inaccurate adjustments to the air/fuel ratio, which could cause the stalling you described. When this happens, it is usually a result of the engine being over fueled or under fueled depending on what the idle air control valve is reading. I would recommend having an expert technician, such as one from YourMechanic, take a look at your car to properly diagnose your stalling issue.

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