O2 sensor wiring ripped out

Hey all,

I have a 2001 XJ. My girlfriend and went out of town for dinner on Friday night, about 90 miles away. Jeep drove fine. Left dinner, 3/4 mile down the road CEL comes on. I thought it was the standard evap leak code. Jeep drove fine and we drove home. Ran errands the next morning. I pulled the code later in the day and say P0058. I thought WTF. I looked under the Jeep and saw the O2 sensor wiring hanging by the driveshaft. All 4 wires were pulled out of the O2 sensor. I changed the sensor and the problem went away.

I tried to make the wiring touch the driveshaft and couldn't seem to do it. So I'm wondering that the only two ways it could have happened are when the front end may have compressed so the driveshaft was closer to the wiring and it got caught on the grease zerk. Or someone was malicious and pulled it out while we were parked. It does seem odd that it came on 3/4 mile down the road from where we ate. I would think a short would trigger a code immediately? not after some series of stops and starts?

As far as the trigger the code immediately goes not surprised by how it played out. Thinking it would be a pending code for a second or more until the computer figures out there really is a problem then threw the CEL.

Usually circuit faults are continuous monitor codes and will set as soon as the test runs and fails. Especially for a sensor with as much authority as an o2. Any chance you ran something over that pulled it out? Big tumbleweed maybe? I just can't see the anything capable ripping that out easily.

Not that I know of, and definitely on the way up.

Had something similar happen to me on my '01XJ... I think the wiring on mine got caught up on the front Driveshaft due to the retaining clip coming loose f/the 'frame' where it holds the wiring tight. Fixed it and made sure the wiring was secure and no more problems. Not sure how it happened but it did...