Q: My car stalls out in the mid of driving

asked by on October 28, 2016

when driving my 2004 Kia Sedona, it has stalled out in the middle of driving short distances like 2-5 miles. when this occurs, it usually starts right back or takes 2-3 times of starting it again. After changing the filters and fluids, it was running all week going on the street about 4-5 miles each way. Yesterday, while driving in my neighborhood in Oakland out of a hilly area downward at an intersection turning right, I had to pause looking for oncoming traffic and had to turn a little more over to avoid a large transit bus turning toward me and after turning downward , it stalled out for a few minutes and I tried to start it right back up and it would not turn on , then I paused 3 minutes and did it again and it did turn on and then I pulled it over to the side of the road and it stalled out again. overall temperature of day was wet from some rain fall and cold about 65 degrees F. Questions: What could be wrong? best cost of 2 diagnose and fix car? Can a mobile mechanic fix it

My car has 120000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.

Hi there. From the description you provided concerning your vehicle stalling while driving, the cost of repair is difficult to answer without actually verifying the fault. It could be any number of reasons for the engine to stop running. It could be a faulty fuel pump that has insufficient fuel pressure or no rest pressure. A fuel pressure test could confirm the fault.

It could be a faulty or dirty MAF (mass airflow sensor) that is incorrectly calculating the incoming air to the engine or an electrical component intermittently failing. It could also be from a faulty CKP (crankshaft position sensor) that prevents the ignition system from working.

Assuming, the vehicle’s Check Engine Light is not on, this leads me to believe the ECM (engine control module) is not recognizing the fault. If your vehicle only dies with your foot off of the accelerator pedal, it could be a faulty or dirty IAC (idle air control valve) not controlling engine idle speed. Given all of the different possibilities, your best bet may be to enlist the help of a certified mechanic, like one from YourMechanic, to diagnose the stalling issue and follow through with repairs.

The statements expressed above are only for informational purposes and should be independently verified. Please see our terms of service for more details

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