My 2000 Taurus wagon has been stalling while driving at slow speeds, on and off, since last September. It would be fine for days and then the problem would occur, with repeated stalls all the way home. On one occasion I had a startup issue when I hadn’t been driving it. I was unable to start it the driveway, though it would crank. I’ve had the car serviced three times for this issue at the same shop where I’ve been a customer for years. First they replaced the fuel pressure sensor. Next they replaced the fuel pump. Last week they replaced the idle air control valve. The problem occurred again a couple of days after I brought the car home. At this point I don’t want to send it back to the same shop, but I also don’t want to pay diagnostic fees and have more parts replaced without solving the problem. Any advice?
A bad crankshaft position sensor can cause an engine to stall out of the blue.
Tester
Is the check engine light on? if so, post the codes. most auto parts stores will scan your vehicle for codes for free. your mechanic should have done that and proceeded from there. it seems like they are just throwing parts at it.
If a proper diagnostic isn’t done by a competent mechanic (rather than the guy who was just throwing parts at the problem), you run the risk of paying more in the long run.
That being said, Tester’s suggestion of a bad crankshaft position sensor is a good thing to bear in mind. However, that problem doesn’t always throw a code, so–most of all–you need a much more skilled mechanic than the one who you’ve been using. If he says that you have to pay a diagnostic fee, then I think you should agree to it because your stalling problem is actually a safety hazard, and not merely an annoyance.