2015 CX-5 Engine Failure / Electrical restart while driving

[n00brian]

2015 CX-5 AWD - 95k Miles
There have been 5 times now in the last 30 days where the car goes through a weird electrical issue. At first, the car would have trouble starting where it would lose all power immediately upon attempting to start. I would have to wait about a minute then all power would come back and I could start the car up.
Now, on three occasions while driving, the car will suddenly lose its power, the dash and infotainment will go through a boot cycle, power steering is lost, and all warning lights come onto the dash with the check engine light staying on for about a minute until everything returns to normal.
The battery is new and I have checked the battery connections and all is fine there.
The picture below is what appeared on my dash from today as it stalled out while driving. In today's instance, the power steering went out but there was just enough acceleration power to allow me to drift about 3 mph into a parking spot, where the dash displayed TPMS Inspection, then SCBS Inspection, then Check Engine
Does anyone know where to begin in resolving this issue?
Thank you

 

[sm1ke]

I'd suggest buying (or borrowing) an OBDII scanner to see if you can pull some codes. I ordered a cheap $5 bluetooth unit online, it connects to my phone and displays the info in a free app downloaded from the app store. If you can get the car to a place like Autozone, you can also ask to borrow their reader so you can pull the codes.

 

[n00brian]

I'd suggest buying (or borrowing) an OBDII scanner to see if you can pull some codes. I ordered a cheap $5 bluetooth unit online, it connects to my phone and displays the info in a free app downloaded from the app store. If you can get the car to a place like Autozone, you can also ask to borrow their reader so you can pull the codes.

Thank you! I am going to head over to AutoZone today

 

[CX5_Driver]

@

n00brian​

I would start at the obvious-- battery.
get battery tested at your local auto parts store
check connections.. heck even redo the connections at the battery

from there yes a OBDII scanner is gonna be your pal

something like

https:// smile.amazon.com/Elm327-Diagnostic-Bluetooth-Automotive-Vehicles/dp/B0832PJ4XB/
or
https:// smile.amazon.com/YOUNGFLY-Special-Advanced-Bluetooth-Diagnostic/dp/B07F9QFN8R/

then the app on your phone called Torque

Apple:
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/obd2-torque-obdii-check-car/id1359567217

Android:

Torque Lite (OBD2 & Car) - Apps on Google Play

Measure vehicle BHP & Torque Clear car OBD DTC faults, View data in Google Earth

play.google.com

 

[erhayes]

I would remove and clean all ground attachments and not at just the battery. Ed

 

[n00brian]

I would remove and clean all ground attachments and not at just the battery. Ed

Ok, I will go through and clean and re-attach all connections. Appreciate that.
Also, just ordered an OBDII Scanner from Amazon

 

[Buzzman12]

@

n00brian​

I would start at the obvious-- battery.
get battery tested at your local auto parts store
check connections.. heck even redo the connections at the battery

Second that strategy.
My son's Kia Sorento exhibited the exact same problems after a battery change.
Turned out to be a not quite tight enough battery terminal connection.
Jam the connector down hard on the battery post and then make it good and tight.
There's a lot of juice running through that connection, so it has to have good, clean, and wide surface area contact.
Good luck.

 

[Odrapnew]

I agree to check the battery connections (both battery and opposite end of cable).
I also had experience with a similar issue on my brother's car. When trying to start would click, everything goes dead and then came back after a minute or so. Turned out to be a loose connection at the battery terminal. Snugged it up and all was well.

 

[n00brian]

So I ran the OBDII and error code: P0882 TCM Power Input Signal Low

Its now at the shop while they diagnose. Was told it could be a transmission oil issue or a transmission assembly issue.

Will keep you all posted

 

[n00brian]

Well, you guys nailed it!

The mechanic traced the TCM issue back through to a loose connection on the negative battery terminal, just as you all suspected.

Thank you for the advice! +1 for you all!

 

[sm1ke]

Well, you guys nailed it!

The mechanic traced the TCM issue back through to a loose connection on the negative battery terminal, just as you all suspected.

Thank you for the advice! +1 for you all!

Glad to hear it was resolved without issue. I guess you must have missed it when you checked the battery connections the first time, as you mentioned in the first post.

Also, the ELM 327 bluetooth OBDII dongle that @CX5_Driver linked is well worth the money. I just used it with the free Torque app to diagnose, troubleshoot, and clear a CEL on my dad's 2018 Chevy Equinox yesterday.

 

[ceric]

The battery is new and I have checked the battery connections and all is fine there.

When your computer goes wrong, 1st thing you do is *reboot*.

When your vehicle shows a strange problem, 1st thing you check is the 12V battery.