Car sputters/loses power or feels like stalling when I'm accelerating

[RallyFocus75]

Originally Posted by iroc34

YUP. Alternator is shot. When the battery gets below about 10 volts the computer on our cars does some really strange things. Dash starts to freak out followed by severe bucking and eventually death LOL. Double check that the pig tail that plugs in to the alt is good (known problem). Get the battery charged up and get to a place that will check the alt...

This sounds exactly like whats going on with my wife's '02 Focus. Tonight it started loosing power when driving 60 mph & felt like its trying to stall. Put in the clutch and the engine stalls. Won't re-start right away..wait a minute, suddently starts no problem. Problem repeated a few times. Same as Leetv stated, no warning lights on the dash. I hooked up a code reader when I got home, no engine faults present. This is the first time this has happened interesting someone mentioned the alternator problem. Her car wouldn't start the other morning - battery was dead. Boosted the car, took it for a drive, ran fine. Checked the voltage when I go back, 12V with engine off, only 12.5V with it running - I'm thinking its the alternator as the voltage should be 13-14V when the engine is running. Took it to Ford they changed the battery, said the alternator was fine. Is it possible to have an intermitent problem with the alternator?

[sailor]

Rally - Ford is prob. right - have seen batteries with "dead" or "shorted" cells act this way, so you can't assume an alt. prob. (even with symptoms that point that way) without rechecking with a known good battery first.
REALLY bad battery, won't continue running even with a good jumper battery attached.
Sometimes shows as an intermittent B4 it dies completely.
That sounds like a good dealer - they could have sold you on a new alt. without a quibble given the symptoms - just did the cheap fix it really needed...

[dmosca721]

Hi.. I have the same problem... I have a 2001 Focus and this problem started last year and no one seems to know what the problem is... i have had a tune up, a new alternator,a new battery in the car idk what else to do someone please help me.. I dont want to get rid of my car... In the winter my car is perfectly fine and then when the nice weather hits its a horrible problem...

[dnadarwin]

My Dad is having a issue on his 2002 Focus Wagon. It just happened when I was driving it the other day. I was doing about 70 on the interstate when all of the sudden the car died. No stuttering or warning whatsoever. I got it to the side of the road, and it eventually started one more time, but then nothing. When it did start again, it died as soon as I gave it any gas. When the vehicle died the battery light and service engine soon lights were the only lights on. This has now happned a few times, but seems to be pretty intermittent.
There was no click or indicator when trying to restart it, it just acted as though it either wasn't getting fuel, or couldn't turn over.
We know very little about this car, but it's already had its share of issues. Any help would be appreciated!

[radoman]

Hi,I have the same problem with my 2000 Focus SE.
Did anyone solve this issue?

Thanks

[kolsel]

Hi , I drive a 2001 ford focus, I bought it second hand two years ago. has always ran well , never stalled then it stalled 6 times in a 15 min drive. Each time it would stall would be when I'm trying to accelerate beyond 40 mph it would sorta rumble and then I couldn't accelerate gas pedal would seize) then it would stall. all emergency lights would come on , I would let it sit a minute and start er up again and so on... I took her to my mechanic (CAA certified) he did a scan test which detected a clogged fuel pump (which they flushed). I picked up the car and it drove fine for two days and then started stalling again (this time twice in a ten minute period of time) all same same as before. so I brought it back in and they removed a lot of corrosion of a circuit board? (he said it was very corroded) anyways again no problems while driving for 3 days then it did it again as I was trying to accelerate on a hill. I had to literally crawl at 10 mph up the hill so it wouldn't stall But I could feel it wanted to. I'm so frustrated. I do not know ANYTHING about cars.

[cheap sleeper]

Anyone suffering the bucking during acceleration needs a coil pack 99% of the time. I have owned two zx3s and they both had the coil pack fail with the symptom of power loss/ hesitation and bucking during acceleration. Definitely try that first before anything else!! install it very gently so a mildly trained eye will not be able to tell that you installed it so if it doesn't work, you take it back and say 'it didn't fit'. If you admit that you installed/ hooked it up they will not allow you to return/ swap it, not even for store credit. say it didn't fit, therefore you couldn't install it. I know that is a bit dishonest, but when youre broke you gotta do what you gotta do!