Starter Failing Causes Engine Shutoff?

Asked by Clinton Feb 29, 2016 at 07:07 PM about the 2014 Jeep Cherokee Limited FWD

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

Hi all! I'm new to these forums, but would certainly appreciate the help.

My wife was driving our 2014 Jeep Cherokee Limited with keyless ignition,
and out of the blue it cut the engine off. No chugging, dimming lights,
nothing. The battery (charging system) light came on. The starter sounded
rough when she tried to crank it back up immediately, but after waiting half
a minute, it started up fine. It's now been doing this at random times.
Sometimes we can drive all around town, sometimes just down the street,
but eventually it'll simply shut off the engine, leave all electronics on, and
display the warning light.

I took it to my local Autozone to have the starter and battery checked. Their
diagnostic system said both were fine, but the starter failed the test. I was
honestly a little shocked. I had never heard of a starter being the cause of
an engine shutting off randomly. He said that newer cars with keyless
systems route everything through the electrical system, so if a component
begins to fail, it can shut off an engine.

My question to everyone is, does this sound right? Can a failing starter
cause these kind of engine issues? I don't doubt the associate's test, but I'd
like to be sure I know what's going on before I take it in to a Jeep
dealership to have it serviced.

Thank you all!

3 Answers

250

1) having autozone do any kind of a test on anything is a waste of time. Don't have the time to go into it, but three strikes your out applies in my case. 2) hate to say this, but there's no armchair diagnosis going to help you. Take it to the dealer. Waaay too much electronics on that for a non professional to even begin to tinker with, not to mention the possibility of frying a voltage sensitive component. 3) it's only 2 years old. Isn't it still under warranty?? All the possible culprits are covered under warranty except the battery.

If you have the auto start-stop feature anytime you come to a stop the engine will shut off and when you touch the accelerator or the brake it will start up again there will be a button by the radio down by the air conditioning controls it'll have a with a circle around it this is the button you need to push to turn the feature on or off

If you have the auto start-stop feature anytime you come to a stop the engine will shut off and when you touch the accelerator or the brake it will start up again there will be a button by the radio down by the air conditioning controls it'll have a with a circle around it this is the b

Your Answer:

Cherokee

Looking for a Used Cherokee in your area?

CarGurus has 1,909 nationwide Cherokee listings starting at $6,990.

Postal Code:

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    swtcat13
    Reputation
    4,070
  • #2
    JimRoy
    Reputation
    3,730
  • #3
    Gene Arnett
    Reputation
    3,700
View All

Find great deals from top-rated dealers

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used Jeep Grand Cherokee
130 Great Deals out of 3,690 listings starting at $4,999
Used Jeep Wrangler
139 Great Deals out of 5,907 listings starting at $2,995
Used Jeep Compass
56 Great Deals out of 3,203 listings starting at $3,495
Used Toyota RAV4
140 Great Deals out of 2,981 listings starting at $4,999
Used Honda CR-V
189 Great Deals out of 4,991 listings starting at $440
Used Toyota 4Runner
22 Great Deals out of 521 listings starting at $14,995
Used Ford Explorer
61 Great Deals out of 1,843 listings starting at $6,990
Used Jeep Renegade
10 Great Deals out of 144 listings starting at $6,999
Used Dodge Charger
42 Great Deals out of 858 listings starting at $5,995
Used Ford F-150
319 Great Deals out of 13,568 listings starting at $3,888
Used Toyota Tacoma
37 Great Deals out of 782 listings starting at $9,975
Used Dodge Durango
55 Great Deals out of 1,851 listings starting at $6,987
Used Chevrolet Equinox
103 Great Deals out of 3,184 listings starting at $1,695

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.