car slowed down and would not go any faster?

2003 FORD EXPLORER

95,000 MILES • 6 CYL • 2WD • AUTOMATIC

JETGIRL69

MEMBER
1 POST

hello, while i was driving about 10 minutes the car at the same time the a/c started blowing warm air and the car slowed down and would not go any faster when i stepped on the gas, it felt like it was in 1st gear. i pulled over and turned the car off then 2 minutes later i turned it back on and the a/c started blowing cold air and the car was running normal. about a month ago the check engine light came on then went off a week later. i took it to ford after the problem i had on the road. they said there was nothing wrong. i told them about the check engine light coming on a month ago and they said nothing showed up on the codes and nothing was stored in the computer that i even had a problem. one of the salesman said it sounded like it went into limp mode. why didn"t they find any problems? they charged $98.00 and did nothing . i'm afraid to drive it fearing it will happen again. what could be the problem? please help, if a ford dealership could not find the problem what should i do? thank you very much, barbara

Aug 7, 2009 at 4:38 PM

SQM

✓Experienced Mechanic
6,383 POSTS

Hello,

It does sound like the vehicle went into limp mode (low power mode). Many times after restarting the vehicle it gets reset. But if the problem exists it will go to the low power mode again.

The most common cause for vehicles to go to limp mode is to have an issue with the throttle actuator. The throttle body can have worn components that can trigger no signal to the ECM and the ECM will cut power to protect the engine.

Here is a helpful article:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/reduced-power-limp-mode

However without the trouble code(s) it can be difficult to pinpoint the issue. That is the reason the dealership was unable to diagnose the issue.
You might just have to wait until the engine light comes on again and get it scanned.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/checking-a-service-engine-soon-or-check-engine-light-on-or-flashing

Please let me know of any questions.
Thank you.

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