Why my car suddenly stopped and all the signals on the dashboard were 'ON' while driving?

70

Asked by smora Jun 09, 2015 at 09:16 AM about the 2001 Toyota Camry CE

Question type: General

Why my car suddenly stopped and all the signals on the dashboard were 'ON' while
driving?  I was worried like I lost the control of steering and brakes.
Again when I restarted the engine it started again and did not have any problem. Please
let me know if this is a serious issue.

13 Answers

25,265

As to why the engine stalled? That remains unknown.. But when the engine stalls while you're driving, it is normal for the dash to light up with most if not all of the warning signals. Brakes are vacuum assisted and the steering is power assisted with a pump on the engine. Without the engine running, the vehicle will lose vacuum and the power steering pump will stop causing the brakes and steering to become extremely difficult to manipulate. Could be a one shot deal, bad gas? If the engine continues to stall, I would recommend bringing it in to have it looked at. Could just need a simple tune up.

22 people found this helpful.
70

@ Schalk .. what does 'earth wire' means, can you please elaborate?

3 people found this helpful.
25,265

He may be referring to the main ground cable from the battery which is a good point. Check the terminals at the battery and verify they are tight and free of corrosion. Also the ground cable (black) (-) from the battery typically connects to the car chassis or engine block. Make certain this connection is secure as well. If ground is lost, the electrical system in the vehicle will fail.

12 people found this helpful.
103,655

I think he's saying you have a bad ground. Put a volt meter on your battery. See what it says for volts. Should be 12 or above. If less than 12 volts, put battery on a charger and see if the car will start. If it does, your alternator may be bad. With the engine running, test the hot side of the alternator. It should be 14 volts. If less, replace alternator. If alternator tests fine, replace the battery. It's not holding a charge.

9 people found this helpful.
70

@Reelin68, my battery is a new one and recently I had transmission issues and it is fixed now. So, do you suggest me to check alternator?

4 people found this helpful.
103,655

I doubt it was your alternator. You would have got a battery light on the dash. Plus, the car wouldn't have restarted if the battery was weak due to the alternator being bad. Didn't realize that you had a new battery or that the car started right back up again without being jumped. I would start checking for loose connections and grounds like Schalk suggested.

5 people found this helpful.
9,815

ground wires, sorry from south Africa English not to good, haha

7 people found this helpful.

A bad electrical connection at or related to the battery would most likely prevent a normal restart. However, the above suggestions are good ones. I'm thinking perhaps a bad fuel pump. Bad pumps sometimes begin by causing an engine stall...then...a normal restart. A fuel pump pressure test should be considered. When was the last time the fuel filter was replaced?

9 people found this helpful.
90

My car is a nissan altima 2004 i have the same exact problem most of the time i leave a stop the car turns off but the lights on the dash and everything else stays on i restart it with no problems and every time it it happened it was on a left turn only if that matters or not thought I'd throw that out there

9 people found this helpful.
140

I had a similar problem (in a 96 Toyota Camry), however my car will not restart. I have a new battery, and had the alternator tested (tested good), but car still will not start. Any suggestions?

14 people found this helpful.

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