Why Does the Jeep Engine Shut Off While Driving? How to Fix?

The Jeep engine gets shut off without any prior notice or syndrome. That’s the most irritating issue that an off-road driver ever faces in his life. Unfortunately, that’s a bitter truth we mostly face once the vehicle gets damaged or is too old. However, the new Wrangler and Grand Cherokee might face the same for some reasons.

Lack of fuel, bad MAF, and blown fuses are the main reasons why the Jeep engine shuts off while driving. Also, faulty crankshaft sensors and fuel filters may turn off the engine while driving. So, check them whenever you get a dead engine.

Today, we’ll walk through all those reasons and give you the best possible solutions you can implement and turn the engine again. So, let’s get started.

Before explaining all the reasons, watch this video.

5 Reasons to Get The Jeep Engine Shuts off While Driving

As said earlier, you must get two different issues for getting a sudden dead engine. For the new engine, the fuses and fuel are responsible. The old engine, crankshafts sensors damaged MAF, and faulty fuel filter might be the reasons.

Let’s see how they turn off the engine while driving. And these are pretty same for Jeep engine shuts off while stopped.

Lack of Engine Fuel

In most cases, you may find your engine dead halfway due to insufficient fuel. It happens when the engine fuel is finished, and there is nothing left for the engine to keep running. That moment, the engine will stop; if you try to turn on the engine, it’ll show you a lack of fuel.

Even the fuel tank might be empty and can’t allow you to drive further. That’s how the lack of engine fuel suddenly shuts off the motor. That’d be the worst situation in your life unless you keep 1 extra gallon of fuel in your Jeep.

Blown Fuses

Another common reason is blown fuses. Mainly, all the Jeeps come with a box of fuses in the front under the hood. There, you get the line for the engine and other parts. 8 to 10 fuses are there. Sometimes, the overused fuses may go blow and shut off the engine immediately.

If your engine check light is not on, and you have enough fuel to drive the Jeep, you should check the rear box where the fuses are located. One or two fuses are blown and won’t allow you to start the engine.

What to do for the Jeep wrangler engine’s check light no codes? Go through that link and give it a read.

Crankshafts Sensor Issues

Per the user’s review and challenges, the crankshaft sensor issues are the most widely known reason for getting a dead engine while driving. The sensors may go wrong and stop the engine. Especially their positions might be changed, or the sensor devices or plugs might be displaced.

In that case, you can’t expect to run the engine if it’s already dead. You need to inspect the engine and get some new ones accordingly. Or place them perfectly to avoid any kind of problems.

Damaged MAF

The Mass airflow sensor is supposed to work efficiently. What if it fails to do its job? In that case, you will face the below challenges.

• Excess black exhaust from the engine.
• Poor fuel economy that you can’t even imagine how poor that is!
• Idling is tough, and it creates issues when starting.
• The engine suddenly shut down, making it difficult to turn it on again.
• You can’t accelerate the engine with a bad MAF.

These are the everyday symptoms to identify Bad MAF. The bad MAF sensor might shut down the engine, so you can only turn it on further once you repair or change it.

Fuel Filter

What if the fuel filter is damaged or gets dusty? Or the fuel filters are broken? In such cases, the engine will fail to get enough fuel to keep going and eventually shut down. So, if you are still looking for the lack of oil issues in your engine, check all the fuel filters. They may fail to pump the fuel to your engine. That’d be why the jeep engine cuts off while driving.

What To Do If My Jeep Engine Shuts Off While Driving? [Solutions]

Suppose your Jeep engine is shut off while driving; you must check the fuel level, filters, fuse box, and spark plugs. They are the primary factors that might turn off the engine and won’t allow you to turn it on again without sorting them out.

To avoid a sudden engine shutdown, follow the tips below. These tips will also help you to sort out the Jeep engine knocking sound while accelerating.

Regular Maintenance

Maintenance is the first key to avoiding sudden engine shutdown or death. If you go through regular maintenance, you must know which parts to replace. Even regular cleaning will be ensured, and you will be able to handle such difficulties.

Change the Blown Fuses

Since the engine fuses are risky and can turn off the engine if blown, you must check the rear box and the fuses regularly. Especially when your Jeep shuts down the engine while driving or accelerating, you must check the blown fuses and repair them accordingly.

Refill The Fuel Tank

It’s common to run out of engine fuel in the middle of the road. There, the dashboard will appear with a message informing you that the engine has no fuel to drive further. In that case, you must refill the engine fuel tank.

Check all The Sensors

After checking the above things, you must go through all the sensors. Especially the crankshaft sensors need to be checked thoroughly to see if they are in the right place or broken. A little damage to these sensors might turn off the engine.

Why Does My Jeep Engine Explode While Being Towed?

Your Jeep Engine explodes while being towed because of some misuse. You must maintain some basic requirements when you take the towing service. The engine will explode if you make a single mistake or a couple of them. Let’s see why the engine exploded while being towed.

• You depress both the brake & clutch pedals.
• Accidentally turned on the Jeep engine.
• Mistakenly placed the manual transmission into the gear.

What to Do If My Jeep Engine Shuts off While Stopped?

Broken torque convertor and loose cable are the main reasons your Jeep engine shuts off while stopped. In such conditions, you can’t turn on the engine or won’t get the ignition. Therefore, tightening the battery cable & replacing the broken converter should solve the problem.

Jeep Patriot & XJ Engines Shut off While Driving

Suppose the Jeep Patriot engine shuts off while driving; you must check the fuel level, filters, and fuel tank. Any of them must be wrong or fail to support the engine properly; as a result, you get a dead engine.

But the Jeep XJ engine shuts off while driving something related to the sensors and fuses. You should check the crankshaft sensors and the fuse boxes. Remember, you may find the above reason here as well.

People Also Asked

Closing Words

Suppose the Jeep engine shuts off while driving; you must check the engine fuel level and go through the fuse box. Sometimes, the blown fuse will turn off the engine you can’t turn on. Otherwise, check the crankshaft sensors and check their position.

You may follow the above tips to avoid the engine shutdown problem. If you still find this problem, check the fuel level and go through that.