HarmonicGray

Here's the latest in my infuriating crusade with this car. Last week, I was driving to work when all of the sudden I get 'Service Stabilitrak, Reduced Engine Power' warning. The engine power wasn't just reduced, it was completely killed, because when I coasted to a stop on the side of the road, it wasn't running. I tried to start it again and I got no click at all. Nothing even going to the starter. Interior electrical, headlights, windows, radio, blower, everything works fine. But when I try to turn the key, I get nothing at all, not even a click.

Had it towed home and a few days later, electrical was still working fine, but still couldn't get any response whatsoever from the engine. Disconnected the battery and slotted a new one in and it fired up immediately with no issues. Drove it around, my girlfriend even Doordashed with it for a couple hours. I drove it to work today no issues either. Then as I'm leaving work tonight, the SAME EXACT THING happens. Service Stabilitrak, Reuced Engine Power, dead. And just as before, the headlights, interior lights, radio, show NO signs of the battery being dead or low. It's a brand new battery I just bought yesterday.

This leads me to believe that when I disconnected the battery yesterday to slot in the new one, it reset the computer and let me drive without issue. No check engine light or anything. Then, randomly, the computer detected whatever made it shut down last time and did it to me again for safety of the engine or something? I don't have a code reader, but I've ordered an cheap one from Amazon that will be here Monday. I'm curious if anyone has had this same problem and what it ended up being.

It's currently broken down at a church and I don't have the money to get it towed again, so in the morning I'm going over there with my dad and we're going to disconnect the battery, let it sit a few, then reconnect it to see if we can replicate what happened last time where it let me drive for a day before cutting the engine off and refusing to start again. I just want to get it home so I it doesn't get impounded eventually and I can read the codes. In the meantime, any insight into this problem is much appreciated.

HarmonicGray

UPDATE:

Went this morning to the church parking lot where it died and disconnected the battery. Waited ten minutes, reconnected the battery and it started right up. Drove with zero issues to my dad's house. But I know it's only a matter of time before the Service Stabiltrak/Reduced Engine Power happens and makes it stall out and refuse to start again, and I'm sure disconnected and reconnecting the battery will make it start again. No idea what this might be, but I'll update tomorrow after my code reader arrives in the mail. Right now there is no CEL and there wasn't one when the problem happened either. It just came out of nowhere and killed the engine, refusing to start it until I disconnected and reconnected the battery after computer reset.

BlueOx

Guessing this is going to be a power distribution / communication error due to corrosion / poor connector. Disconnecting the battery does not "reset the computer" and inexpensive code readers will not scan all modules ("computers"). Curious to see where this leads you.