A year ago, I purchased a 2006 Toyota Corolla Sport that had about 17,000 miles on it. The car now has about 34,000 miles on it and has had regular maintenance. Last Friday as I was driving home, my car suddenly decelerated and the check engine light, battery light and the oil pressure lights all came on and I had to coast over to the edge of the road. I could not immediately restart the engine but after a few minutes it started and I drove about 1/2 mile and it stopped again with the dash lights coming back on.(When the car was running, all lights except the check engine light disappeared.) I stopped and started like this 6 more times before I finally just had to have it towed to my home. I had 3/4 of a tank of gas that was purchased the night before from the station I always buy gas from. I have added a product to remove water from the gas line just in case that was the problem but the car still stalls and the dash lights still come on. I want to note that prior to this problem starting Friday, the car never acted sluggish, or displayed any problems. Does anyone have any idea as to what the problem is?
You describe symptoms of a simple failed alternator, or battery, or perhaps a corroded and/or loose battery cable. I suspect a test of upir battery and charging system will have you diagnosed in no time.
Just to rule out an engine trying to seize up, have you checked the oil and coolant levels?
If fuel contamination is suspected the best thing to do is pull a good sample of the gas(at least a quart) and note if there is any water or debris in it. The fuel filter contents should also be dumped and the contents inspected.
After that the next step is checking things like battery connections as mentioned, fuses, and pulling the codes.
I had the oil changed about 4 weeks ago and the oil level, coolant and all other fluids were checked yesterday and appeared to be full and clean. I will start checking out the cables, battery and alternator.
Thanks so much!
Your Corolla is still under warranty. The dealer has to make repairs at Toyota’s expense. Make an appointment and get your car to a dealership.
I would guess it is under warranty. That means you don’t really care what does not work or why. You only need to get the car to the dealer (perhaps on his dime) and tell him what you have observed. They are responsible for figuring out what is necessary to fix it. Don’t make it more complex that it need be.