We have a 2004 Mountaineer Premium with 48k miles. At around 44k, the car suddenly lost all power, the chimes rang and all of the warning lights came on. The engine was still running, but there was no power to the wheels. We had to have the car towed to a Ford garage where the diagnosis was a battery failure. We replaced with a new Ford battery. This week the same thing happened to my wife, and she managed to get the car to the curb (even the power steering is lost). She restarted the car and it has run ok since. This seems awlfully strange. Has anyone else heard anything like this?????

 

FYI ; I found some answers on the Ford Forums site under Explorers. Seems like other 2004s had the same problem. Seems that the cruise control may be an issue when engaged at below 38 mph. Fixes include re-flashing or changing the throttle body. Keeping my eye on it for now.

 

Does the engine die instantly when this happens?

 

The first time it happened, my wife did not recall having the cruise control on and the engine seemed to be running but completely lost power to the wheels. The second time it happened the cruise was on and the engine shut off.

 

might be an issue with the cruise, but it sounds more like an issue with the alternator and/or voltage regulator. if you have a voltmeter, you can rule out the alternator real quick by testing the voltage across the battery with the vehicle off and then running. you should get about 12.6V and 14.4V (plus or minus a few points is fine). If you have something like 18 volts when running, the voltage regulator is shot. If you switch the voltmeter to AC and see anything more than half a volt, the diodes in the alternator are shot.

and if it''s an intermittent problem, it will not be fun to hunt down and probably won''t be cheap if you have to take it to a mechanic either.

The easiest way to see if it''s the cruise is to disconnect the wire harness from the cruise control module and see if you have the problem any more.

 

How long have you been running your current battery? When your wife was driving did the engine remain at idle, or did the throttle still work and the truck just did not move? The second time, you were drivng at cruise speed and the engine just died instantly? I want to say a faulty crank sensor cause the engine shut down completly at speed but there is more going on here. I just need to know more info, like if the engine always dies or stays running sometimes.. Ford must have checked your alt. when they changed your battery, right? any CEL''s or weird gauge readings? Let me know.

 

The first time it happened, the engine must have stopped because she lost her power steering. She was able to retart the car, but after putting in drive, it would only drift backwards. Dealer replaced the battery. No other codes or problems reported. The second time, she had the cruise control engaged and lost power (engine stopped). She pulled over, restarted the car, and it has run ok since, except for the new fuel injector that we had to replace about a month later.

 

Did you get the recall done (kill switch for cruise control)?


I had it done and experienced weired problems with my electrics. Checked with my dealer, they said that after the initial recall (new harness) they found out that it was not "compatible" with many vehicles (including my GrandMarquis), so I had to go back with my Explorer and they installed a "kill switch" and an additional fuse. Nothing that you can see or have to work with, all in the engine compartement.


Now everything is fine on my side.


Greetings!

 

I did not believe that the recall covered 2004 Mountaineers.

 

Sounds like maybe the famous Ford "inertia switch" maybe playing a part. In 2004 they were at there worst.