Instrument Panel Dials Turn Off While Driving

[op157]

The other day when I turned on my car and started driving, all the dials on the instrument panel would just drop to 0. I would hear a "beep beep beep" while the gas dial dropped to empty & the gas light came on - I did not pay attention to the odometer to see if that turned off too. The dials would come back right away. It seems to happen a lot while the car was warming up, but after driving for a while, it didn't happen at all. The problem happened again when I drove later after the car had cooled off.

Are there any quick things I can do to diagnose the problem? I'm hoping it's something loose, but I'm not sure where to start. Also, a few weeks ago there was so much rain outside, the street flooded when I parked and my passenger side flooded a little. There was water stuck on the floor where the rear passenger's feet go & it broke the airbag sensor under the seat on that side. Could there be some connector near the ground that could have been messed up by the water?

 

[tom5170]

sounds like a ground issue... maybe a computer problem.. maybe ignition switch?

 

[op157]

I did the same drive again yesterday, and fortunately (or unfortunately?) the all the issues went away - the dials and Airbag are both good again. Maybe there was some moisture still in the car that was shorting things out - I can't say for sure. I am going to bring it to the mechanic in the next month or 2 for the 100k ATF flush, so I'll ask them to also check for error codes on the Airbag.

So that's a good datapoint for people to keep in mind. Bear in mind I drive my car 1x a week:

6 weeks ago: My car was parked on the street, and the passenger side went underwater (bad drainage in LA), which is where there's an Airbag sensor.
4 weeks ago: I noticed the Airbag light went on & the passenger side floor was still damp in the back. The car is usually parked outside, so I kept the windows closed & the inside was foggy b/c of the moisture, so I moved it to the garage for a few days with the windows open.
3 weeks ago: Car was dry, but Airbag light was still on.
1 week ago: What I described in the original post. Dials were acting up & Airbag light was on half the time it seemed.
Now: Everything seems fine. I drove 150 miles yesterday & the dials never acted up & the Airbag light never came on.

I do want to get it checked out, but only the passenger side got wet, and when I drive the car, I go solo, so I'm not in any rush. But it's interesting the light went away. I might still get the Airbag sensor replaced - it makes me a little nervous that it broke for a month and is supposedly working again.