Ford - Focus :: Engine Shuts Off When Shift To Neutral Or Park And Take Foot Off Of The Brake
Jan 7, 2013
I have a 2003 Ford Focus with the Zetec 2L, 16 valve. When the car is warm and I put it in neutral or park and take my foot off of the brake it will occasionally shut off. Not stall, but shut off - as though I turned the key. This doesn't happen every time; it usually doesn't. I have no other drivability problems and there are no warning lights or engine codes. The ideas I have are:
- Vacuum/ brake booster leak
- MAF problem or dirty throttle body
- Something weird going on with the transmission shift interlock mechanism.
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For those of you who have not purchased a new car for a while and are considering doing so in the near future I want to share the recent service experience I had for my 2015 Jeep Cherokee. I don't know if my experience was typical but I suspect it is.
I took my Jeep to the dealer for a routine service (LOF and tire rotation). The total time at the dealer was about 4 hours. Of that time, about 2 1/2 or 3 hours was spent in updating the software for the various computers. It had never occurred to me that computers were that pervasive in new cars.
Attendant to that, my Jeep has the 3.2L V6 engine, which comes with start/stop technology (when you stop at a stop light the engine shuts off and restarts when you take your foot off the brake). After the service was completed I noticed the start/stop function had stopped working. I contacted the dealer. The customer service representative spoke with the service technician, who contacted Chrysler. It seems that all of the software updates (there were a total of 6 of them) may take 3-7 days to become fully integrated into the system. I was told to wait a few days to see if the problem rectified. Sure enough, when I drove it today it had.
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I drove my 2005 Ford Focus 200 miles and parked it at the Kansas City airport for the weekend. When I got back after my weekend vacation, the car started but wouldn't move in reverse gear. I was able to disengage the parking brake. However I could feel that the park brake was not moving easily. I then forced the car in reverse a few feet even though there were some groans and noises coming from the back. I then put it on drive and drove forward to the kerb. I then tried reverse again and voila everything had come unstuck. It moved freely. I was able to drive back the 200 miles without problem. I checked the transmission fluid and it was good. Is this just a case of stuck brake or is it the beginning of major transmission problems? Fyi, I have an automatic transmission and there are only about 70000 miles on the car.
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I have a manual transmission and am having difficulties with my stick shifter. I had my car in neutral with my foot on the brake, and when I tried to shift into first gear I was unable to get it into gear. I wasn't able to get it in any other gear as well. Once the car was turned off though, I had no problems getting into gear. But when I turned the car on again, I wouldn't allow me to get anywhere but neutral. After about 10 minutes being off and not moving, the car shifted like normal again and I was able to drive it without a problem.
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Put foot on brake, selector in P it will start but will not shift.
Put foot on brake, turn key on, put selector in N it will start and shift R or D as normal EXCEPT do not shift to P as it will lock up and you have to start all over again.
Selector is basically aligned on the letters appropriately.
2001 F150 supercrew 5.4
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My '08 Ford Focus Diesel dies while accelerating on hills or under load. In third gear, around 2800 RPM the engine consistently shuts down. The engine continues to run until the fuel is exhausted (about 10 seconds). No warning lights come on and the radio, lights, etc. continue to function. Putting it in neutral and restarting the car consistently works.
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This noise started this week. Grinding when I take my foot off the brake when in park and parking brake set. What is causing it?
A guy at work said brakes. The front brake pads were replaced last year. Original rear.
Just over 90,000 miles.
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My automatic 2007 Nissan Altima has developed an intermittent problem when I go to shift it into park it won't shift down past neutral. I can't physically move the gear shift past neutral and can't take my key out of the car. If I wait awhile or drive off somewhere else it will later allow me to shift normally again and won't happen for awhile. It has happened maybe 8-9 times but I worry it will get worse or break the transmission. I've taken it to a mechanic and they looked at the transmission and didn't see a problem but sense they couldn't recreate the issue they couldn't fix it.
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I have been driving a 2003 Chevrolet cavalier and the automatic shift is stuck and can only shift to neutral and drive since Thursday morning. It wont go up to reverse and parking and down to the other 3 shifts.
This first happened last April but somehow with the right grip or pressure was able to get back to all the other shifts. Since then it happened 2-3 times as I can remember and now could be getting worse.
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I have a 2008 Nissan Rogue that is experiencing a shifter problem. The problem is that periodically the shifter will not go from the "park" position to the "drive" position after the car is started and your foot is on the brake. I have been able to drive the car by inserting a small screwdriver into the slot on the gear shift assembly to depress the switch that allows you to override the mechanism but as you can imagine that is tedious and what do you do if suddenly the screwdriver is lost - you go nowhere and you can't even get to store to buy another one because the car won't move!
I have had the car into the dealer twice now and they have been unable to correctly diagnose the shifter problem. They have said that it could be a failed solenoid that senses the brake pedal being depressed but so far that has checked out fine. They also thought that it may be a brake sensor and they asked me to keep an eye on the brake lights to see if they come on when the brake pedal is depressed and the lights do come on so they believe that is not an issue. They "repositioned" the shift assembly in the car center console thinking that it may be an improper position and they tightened it down into place but that has not corrected the problem either. They now tell me that the entire shift assembly needs to be replaced at a cost of $670.00 and I find that hard to believe let alone pay for!
The car has about 70,000 mile on it and it was recently in an accident that did deploy some side airbags and I am wondering too if the accident may have damaged the assembly in some way that caused the malfunction where the repairs may be covered by my insurance company. This has only started after the accident repairs were made and we never had a problem like this prior to that event.
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My Daughter owns a 2000 Camry. It has a very annoying habit of not starting when it is warm (think driving to the gas station, turning the car off to fill it and then it doesn't start again). We have tried new solenoids, a new starter and several other tweaks but nothing seems to fix the problem. Recently she discovered if she jiggles the gear shift lever (it's an automatic) it will start. So, obviously she gear shift lever is not finding Park or Neutral so that it can be in position to start. She has experimented with this concept and it appears to be the only thing that consistently solves the starting issue. What would we have to fix in the gear shift lever, or elsewhere, to fix this problem?
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I bought a brand new 2016 Camry LE. Sometimes when car sits for a while, and I shift from P to R, there is a clunking noise with foot on the brake. I tried with the parking break engage and it still does it.
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I have a '94 E4OD trans in my '53 F100. It uses an analog MLPS for the gear selection indicator, Neutral Safety Switch, and Backup light.
My MLPS Neutral Safety Switch shows continuity in Neutral, but not in Park, I need to be able to energize the starter solenoid in both Park & Neutral.
Shouldn't the MLPS show continuity in both Park & Neutral?
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I have a 2001 park avenue. Runs great but when you take your foot off the gas it feels as if the engine shakes or moves. This happens if driving or just parked. Maybe worn motor mount?
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My 1998 Ford Explorer XLT v6 with about 233,000 miles on it has a bit of a problem. Infrequently, when I shift into reverse from park or neutral the engine dies. It restarts without issue. There are no strange noises or smells when this happens.
The transmission was rebuilt 10,000 miles ago by a reputable mechanic. Almost all of the 230k+ miles are highway miles. Each trip around 40 miles.
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So lately this has been getting worst. You have to step on the brake before you can shift out of park. Well lately I have to step on the brake a few times before the safety will let you get into gear.
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Could my brake issue be related to my transmission problem? Neither are constant. Brake problem= sometimes the brake pedal feels hard, like there's no power brakes (I drove a car once. ..looong time ago. .. that had no power brakes or steering) but it will kick in after a short distance. Transmission prob= seemingly unrelated, is a problem shifting from 1st to 2nd gear. This has happened maybe a 1/2 dozen times, the first time and mostly when in heavy commute traffic and when going between 1st and 2nd gear because of the slow commute speed, but also at other times when not in lengthy slow commutes. When it doesn't shift, the odometer doesn't work (shows only dashes) and an engine light comes on (the sprocket/gear looking one). Usually the transmission will eventually shift and the light goes off.
I read that the brake problem might be a vacuum hose problem? Something about a booster? Is this dangerous? or is it like having a car w/ no power brakes? Going to have my transmission looked at this week. Read on another site about dropping valve seats on this year car. If there's a major transmission problem, I'm wondering if it's worth fixing? I changed, timing belt, water pump, front and rears brakes, tires. 143,000 miles.
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A couple times recently, I've been unable to shift my truck out of Park & the brake lights don't work.
After checking the related fuses & finding them to be ok, it all works again.
What might be causing this to happen?
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having problem w/ 98 f-150. first truck stuck in park. figured out how to get around that (turn key 1 position, shift to neutral, start vehicle, then engage transmission). but no brake lights! I have turn signals, driving lights, hazards, etc in rear. I disconnected harness from brake light switch. there are 2 leads, 1 hot, 1 not. i jumped them and no brake lights. i tested the switch and it functions properly (it's reconnected now). i changed my bulbs in tail lights. I unplugged the solenoid (which is impossibly located behind/beside steering column). this allowed me to shift like an old truck (without having to brake first), but doesn't solve my lack of brake lights (i've reattached the solenoid harness to remind me of my problems).
i am putting my money on a broken wire somewhere between the brake light switch (b/c that was good) and the solenoid (i am not hearing that faint click when i step on brake). but a broken wire should work by accident some of the time (unless cut cleanly and completely). there is a green wire with red stripe leaving the brake light switch and 3 wires at the solenoid harness (1 green and maybe a smaller gauge than those at the switch and 2 others which i don't recall their colors). Ford service manager doesn't think it's the solenoid but wasn't otherwise useful except to say, "hey, why don't you bring it in to me." What to look for before i plunk down for someone to perform what I already have before completing the job!
can i splice a wire from something (? brake light switch?) to something (?wire in solenoid harness?) or does that "electronic signal" get processed somewhere else first?
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My 2011 f250 is stuck in park and the brake lights do not work. I have changed the brake switch but still wont shift out of park.
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I've had my '05 3.0l TDi since last November and I've noticed a few times that when the engine is hot and its idling in park or neutral after a few seconds it can develop a bit of vibration. Apply some revs, even just a few, and it goes away. Let it idle again and it will come back. Stop the engine for a few minutes start again and its fine for a couple of months and then it'll pop up again. Its not some slight vibration, it s a proper big shudder. It reminds me of my '76 Land Rover and very unlike a rock solid Phaeton!
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