So I've been having this problem with my 2006:
Every now and then, whether driving down the highway or barely moving, the car will start to feel sluggish, and then the engine will cut out shortly after. When this happens, the power steering goes out, all electrical systems shut down, and I get the Red Batter, Orange Wrench, and Check Engine lights.

Sometimes, I can simply restart the car and everything is fine (which is scary to do when going 70 mph on the interstate). But other times, I have to reload my tune because I still have a check engine light after the whole ordeal. The strange thing is that this happens sporadically, so I may go a month without an incident, or it may happen 3 times in an hour... I just never know, but it's super annoying and I'm afraid is getting dangerous.

Any ideas? I've tried cleaning the air sensor, air filter, etc... but to avail.

Thanks,
Will

 

You don't have to post this in every section you know lol.

 

yeah my bad... I meant to put it here the first time, but its been a while since i've been on here... there are way more sections than there used to be haha

 

Some info on your car may be helpful.

 

1. Check battery.

2. Check alternator.

3. Check to see that electrical connections are clean and tight.

4. Check for dreaded water leak.

 

Check charging system. Sounds like your alternator is not working correctly and your battery is dying out as you're driving. Mine did the same thing before and the alternator just about crapped out on me. Fixed it ASAP.. runs like a champ.

 

1. Rule out the charging system by having it load tested.
2. Rule out the water leak TSB. Even if the carpet isn't wet, you can find evidence by looking closely all around the SJB. Use a very bright light, maybe even a magnifying glass to find dried water trails, corrosion, etc.
3. The next time it happens, see what else does and doesn't work. Troubleshooting sporadic issues is tough enough but more info can help narrow down by process of elimination to find the smoking gun.

 

+1 sounds like a bad alternator

 

I'm skeptical about the alternator being the problem. My reason: if the battery is healthy enough to re-start the car when everything craps out, then it should be healthy enough to handle keeping the engine running when the alternator rolls over and plays dead. The battery and alternator are connected in parallel to ALL of the cars' electrical load. You should be able to lift a lead to one or the other with the car running and the car should never skip a beat.

 

Sounds like either the water leak or a bad alternator.