Engine shuts down at random when driving at 40/45 mph; hard to restart.

yes...take 'er to an autoparts store....get a printout of your diagnostic messages....post them here for us to examine...thank you~

I will get printout of diagnostic codes asap...Thanks

yay!~

Diagnostic code says "Crank Angle sensor" but this was replaced 3 weeks ago. Could it be the bracket that holds the sensor?....problem also shows up when the air temp is above 90*....once temps cool down car runs fine. ???

My bad..."crank angle sensor" should read "crank position sensor".

of course you replaced it, now the car is perfect~

No, far from it, problem persists...especially when temp is high!

I'd suspect a temp sensor...the one the ECU uses...don't ask me why your vehicle shuts down...is it too rich preventing good combustion?

You may have gotten a defective crank angle sensor, you might want to return it for another.

the system ground....connection from the battery to the frame needs to be able to pull 300 cold cranking amps...use a wirebrush~

the EGR is supposed to introduce inert exhaust gas if conditions get to HOT..is a safety measure to stop the engine from self-destructing...but should not SHUT down the car...but make it funky instead~

http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/x,carcode,1190944,parttype,4968

My 2001 Mazda Miata MX-5 just died while driving. First the radio went off and on and finally shut down. After driving trying to get home had no power to go. I pressed the gas peddle and will not go fast until finally died. This is my third battery in 2 years or so maybe 3years. I do not know if it is the battery? I replaced the alternator last year. It was running fine for a year and now the car died while driving. Does anyone know what it can be? I am currently recharging my battery, but i feel it is something else besides my alternator and battery.

My 2003 MX5 is doing the exact same thing as you described nfp158: did you ever find the solution to this problem?

We are still battling now for 2 months to find a solution to the cut out problem while driving our Mazda. Have spent already ZAR15,000.00 and this amount is climbing......................... Have no anwers to the problem - thanks Colleen Louw

We've been having the same issue with it sputtering and overheating in temps around 90°+. We too, have to wait until it cools down, and then drive slow to a cooler climate. We changed out the thermostat, and the issue continues. For the last five months, it has started to cut out, sputtering randomly, yet will continue back to normal... ( not seeing any link to speed, climate, etc.) Check engine light does come on with all episodes, then later flickers off. In the last two weeks it has completely shut down while driving on the freeway, three times.

I had this problem on my 96. During my rebuild I discovered a black tar cycling through the cooling system. Someone told me this is an after market liquid patch. It clogged my radiator so bad that I ended up replacing the radiator.since it was a restore and rebuild I replaced all the hoses and had the engine cleaned. You may want to and am inline filter if this is your car and rebuild is not an option. As a side note on cooling, I have discovered miata cooling relays burn out constantly and I have replaced mine with an electronic relay. I have also combined my a/c and cooling fans to have both come on when either circuit is engaged.

camshaft sensor ($60) did the trick for my 2002 miata. It would shut off at 70 mph. 2 days and I have driven at 70 to 80 mph. It runs better than before.

I had the same problem, replaced fuel pump, fuel pump relay, fuel filter, fuel pressure regulator, coil packs and modules, spark plug wires, crank sensor, cam sensor, and it still did it. Checked my computer behind the passenger seat looked good until I flipped the Circuit board over After taking the cover off and seen it was fried at the diodes and capacitors just after the plug in connectors.