Sometimes it won't start

[bluebodykit]

Hi, I have some problems with my car; it's a 2006 Corolla with 17,000 miles on it. Sometimes I'll drive it out of a parking lot, it will start to shake, then the it turns off. When I turn the key to turn it on gain, the car sounds like it's going to start, but it doesn't. If I wait five to fifteen minutes it will turn on and run like if nothing had happened. Sometimes I drive it out of the parking lot, maybe 10 meters before it turns off. And sometimes it won't start at all. This happened on my driveway, at a stop sign, a war wash, and Walmart.

It happened once a long time ago, but it started doing it more and more frequently--once every two months, every few weeks, now a couple times a week. When it happens: I turn the key and everything sounds normal, but it's not, because when I let go of the key, the car either starts but turns off, or doesn't start at all. A couple times, when it sounded like it was going to turn off, I stepped on the accelerator and it ran normally. Sometimes I don't have a chance to step on it before it turns off. I asked some people to look at it. They told me that nothing came up on the computer and that they couldn't replicate the problem.

What do I do to fix it?

[bluebodykit]

It's still a problem and it's becoming more frequent and dangerous. I drove out a couple times and everything seemed fine, but when I returned home the car turned off as I was turning into the driveway. Without warning, the steering wheel became difficult to turn and I nearly hit a huge rock half the size of my car. A couple days ago it happened at the Mal as I was parking between two cars, I almost hit the one on the left. Please give me some feedback if anyone has any ideas about what the problem could be, so I can present it when I go to the mechanic, because no one believes me. The car starts fine and doesn't turn off when someone else is behind the wheel.

[roadrunner2]

Do you have a lot of weight on your key ring? If so, get rid of it as this adds stress to the ignition (key) cylinder and can break parts resulting in a loss of current.

[bluebodykit]

Originally Posted by roadrunner2

Do you have a lot of weight on your key ring? If so, get rid of it as this adds stress to the ignition (key) cylinder and can break parts resulting in a loss of current.

It doesn't weigh very much, the ring has three things, a car key, a house key, and a remote. I spoke to a mechanic and he asked me to drop the car off on Monday, so he could drive it and see what the problem is.

[jdmccright]

If you bought it new, it might still be under warranty...if so, pursue this with the dealer first.

My guesses would be:
1) a faulty engine coolant temp sensor
2) a faulty EGR valve and/or PCV valve
3) faulty fuel pump or bad ground
4) faulty throttle position sensor

I'd also check with the dealer for any TSBs (Technical Service Bulletins) with these symptoms. Being this is a safety issue, there may be a free fix for if it is a known issue.