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Car shuts down while driving - '07 Pacifica

corrinecorrine Member Posts: 3
edited February 2015 in Chrysler
I bought my car in August last year, it's a Chrysler Pacifica 2007. For the first few months it was great, then about in October as I was driving, it just shut down like I had turned off the ignition. It has done this several times and it scares me, it always cranks right back up but it should not shut down in the first place. I can't find any recalls for it and it's been at the dealer's where I bought it but they have no idea what is going on with it. Can someone please help or at least give me an idea what the problem is?

Comments

  • thecardoc3thecardoc3 Member Posts: 5,742
    It's not that easy for someone to just say what is wrong and a grocery list of potential causes would usually be just a wild goose chase. As a technician that routinely solves these kinds of problems what I would need to know is the circumstances that the problem occurs under so that I can set my test points to provide me with some information as to the cause. Trouble codes if the system can generate any during the failure could give valuable clues, and potential clues could reside in any module in the car so they all have to be checked for codes, not just the PCM.

    Some of the other details that I would need are, how likely is an even to occur if the car was driven for a given distance or time? Does the problem occur when driving on the highway, when coming to a stop or anytime at all?
    Is there anything else that also stops working? (Power windows, radio, heater???)

    Armed with the above information now the car has to be driven and the technician experience the problem while the test equipment is connected to the car. As each occurrence of the event is caught and the data analyzed, then the testing points would be changed until the tech arrives at a solution.
  • corrinecorrine Member Posts: 3
    I left the car at the Chrysler dealership and they told me there were no hidden codes that could tell them the problem. They also said they drove the car for a while and could not get it to duplicate what the problem was. I had a lady tell me that she had a car once that did the same thing and they told her to take all the keys off the keyring with the car key, she did this and it stopped. I am trying this for now, but it will be a day or so before I drive again. Time will tell I suppose. I was just hoping someone could give me an idea of what was happening to my car. Wish me luck and thanks.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    There are so many possibilities that a long laundry list would be pretty useless to you. Some tip-offs to help the technician would be a) trouble codes b) detailed account of when the failure occurs and c) what else the car might be doing when the failure occurs.

    In the ideal situation, test equipment would be hooked up as the car fails.

    Intermittent problems can be a devil, because when they aren't happening, they aren't there. Not every component or module will throw a trouble code.
  • corrinecorrine Member Posts: 3
    Oh well, thanks anyway. Just thought someone might be able to help with this.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    edited February 2015
    We'd like to help but we'd need more detailed info and some trouble codes to point you in the right direction. Without careful diagnostics, both mental and hands-on, anything anyone tells you is just guessing with your money. So be skeptical of any advice given "off-hand".
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