Reasons Why Your Car Shuts Off While Driving

Recently, many people sent the question “Why does my car turn off while driving?” Actually, nothing makes you feel as heart pounding as your car shuts off while driving in traffic suddenly. If your car starts giving you annoying troubles like this, here are some things you can do to get back rolling again.

5 Reasons Why Your Car Shuts Off While Driving

Let’s find out some main reasons that may lead your vehicle to shut down in the middle of nowhere.

1. Empty Fuel Tank

When your car shuts off while driving on the road randomly, the first thing you should check is your car fuel tank. An empty fuel tank happens to most of us. Of course, you can not drive a car with no fuel. Thus, looking at the fuel gauge may definitely save you from standing on the roads for hours and hours. In case this situation continues happening to your car, you may need to go to a car repair to check your fuel gauge because it may give you the false reading.

2. Trouble with Alternator

An error alternator is one of the most expected reasons make your car stop in the middle of the road. So if there is a problem with the car alternator, it loses the ability to charge the electrical system, which actually causes the power drain. Yes, even when you are driving? The power may deplete gradually until you are keeping the vehicle running at idle. Therefore, you may have to charge it up before the battery dies again. Normally, this can cause an unexpected shutdown, putting you in a strenuous situation on the roads.

3. Malfunctioned/Wild Sensors

No doubt, with the arrival of latest technology and cars, chances of any fault and errors have minimized. But, what if we say that even the sensors in modern cars can confuse you by transmitting the wrong information? Well, now that’s something you must definitely get checked once in a while.

4. Fuel Pump Concern

Another reason that makes your car shuts off while driving issues with the fuel pump. If there is something clogging in the pump or filter, it will make your car turns off while driving on the roads suddenly. So, it is always mandatory to check and clean the fuel pump, filter before driving a long distance.

5. Problems with Ignition Switch

Your car shuts off while driving suddenly may cause from the ignition switch. When the ignition switch is frazzled, this will lead to a loss or power to your engine due to vibration such as hitting a round patch of street. The loss of power causes the engine of your car to die suddenly while you are driving on the road.

4 Steps to Do while Your Car Shuts Off While Driving

Imagine one day you are driving on the road and your car turns off in a sudden. At that time, your top priorities should be the safety for you and other people driving on the road. What you should do in this case are to calm down yourself and not to panic. Then follow 4 steps below:

Step 1: Pull over your car to the side of the road

The first thing to do when you discover your shuts off while driving is not to panic and then guiding your car to the side of the street. Although at that time, your car is losing brakes and steering power, you are still possible to pull over and take your car into a stop. Doing this action will be more difficult if you are panicking, thus keep your head cold and do it with all your concentration. If slowing down your car is too difficult, the next solution is moving your car to a safe place ahead and use the car’s emergency brake.

Notice: Parking your vehicle out of the way of other people in order to provide you more space if you are not able to restart your car immediately.

Step 2: Restart your car

After parking your car on a side of the road, the next step is to find out a way to restart your car. Check out 5 reasons making your car shuts off mentioned above and find a suitable solution to make your car restart again. If your car can run again, it is so amazing. Even your car starts again, you need to take it to the nearest car repair to get the car’s issues estimated.

Step 3: Using emergency flashers to let other drivers know about your situation

In case you cannot start your car, it is time to announce other drivers about your situation to ensure the safety to all people on the road. By turning on your emergency flashers, other people will know you are in trouble and will evade you and your car.

Step 4: Call for help

You can easily see an emergency car towing a broken car on a highway every day. Thus, when you are stuck on a road or a highway with your broken car, call an emergency number for help, you can call 767 or 112 for those in Lagos for help. This is the only way to handle this bad situation.

Things to do to avoid your car shutting off while you are driving

To decrease the causes that make your car turns off while driving, you should regularly maintain your beloved car. Bring your car to a repair shop frequently to ensure the safety for you both. If you have any question about car maintenance, leave us a comment on the box below, our car experts will answer it for you.