My Winter Car Crashes & Fixes Guide (2026): How to Fix Won’t Launch, Freezes, Save Loss & Game-Breaking Bugs
The engine sputters to life, the heater finally kicks in, and you’re ready for another brutal day surviving the Finnish winter—until it happens. A sudden crash to desktop just as you reach the PSK. A freeze on the highway that wipes 20 minutes of progress. Or worst of all, loading your save only to discover your money, parts, or entire build has vanished.
In My Winter Car, the harshest enemy isn’t rust, hunger, or the cold—it’s instability. Bugs, crashes, and save issues can derail dozens of hours of progress in seconds.
This complete 2026 My Winter Car crash & troubleshooting guide acts as your digital repair manual. Every fix here is community-tested, patch-aware, and up to date, covering everything from launch failures and freezes to save corruption and infamous gameplay bugs—so you can get back to wrenching, rallying, and surviving the winter.
🚗 Critical Game Crashes & Launch Issues
These issues prevent the game from starting or cause immediate crashes. Always address these first.
❌ My Winter Car Won’t Launch / Crashes on Startup
This is the most common issue on modern Windows systems.
✅ Universal Fix (Works for Most Players)
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Open Steam Library
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Right-click My Winter Car → Properties
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In the General tab, locate Launch Options
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Enter exactly:
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Close the window and launch the game
Why this works:
This forces the game to use DirectX 11, which is far more stable than DirectX 9 on Windows 10 and 11. This fix alone resolves the majority of launch crashes.
🛑 The Infamous PSK Crash
A long-standing crash occurs when interacting with certain food vendors at the PSK (gas station).
Current status (2026):
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The burger and “Ala Carte” sellers have been temporarily disabled
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The developer has acknowledged the issue
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A permanent fix is still under investigation
Workaround:
👉 Simply avoid purchasing from these vendors until they are re-enabled.
🔍 First Step for Any Strange Crash
If you experience random freezes, crashes, or missing assets after an update:
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Open Steam → Properties
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Go to Installed Files
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Click Verify integrity of game files
This replaces corrupted or missing files and should always be your first troubleshooting step.
💾 The Dreaded Save File Catastrophes
Few things hurt more than losing progress. Here’s how to prevent and fix it.
🔄 Save Rollback / Disappearing Progress Bug
Players sometimes load a save only to find:
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Lost money
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Missing parts
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Progress reverted hours or days back
Cause:
Manually restoring a save without copying all required files.
Correct Fix:
Always back up and restore the entire save folder, not individual files.
Save Location:
📌 Best Practice:
Make regular backups of the entire folder, especially before installing mods or updates.
☠️ Permadeath Is Now Working as Intended
A previous bug prevented Permadeath from deleting saves on death.
This was fixed in patch v.251230-04.
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If Permadeath is ON → dying deletes your save
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If you want a safer experience → disable it in Settings
This behavior is now intentional, not a bug.
❄️ Gameplay & Survival System Bugs
These issues affect core mechanics like driving, sleeping, and surviving.
🔥 Car Heater Doesn’t Work (Still Freezing)
The heater is unintuitive but not broken.
Correct Heater Setup:
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Let the engine warm up (coolant must be hot)
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Click the blower button twice (max speed)
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Rotate temperature dial fully left (hot)
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Set air direction toggle fully left (windshield)
No warm engine = no warm air.
🛏️ “Cannot Sleep” Bug
If the sleep prompt doesn’t appear:
Cause 1: Room Too Cold
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Turn on the apartment radiator
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Set temperature to 30°C or higher
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Wait for the room to warm up
Cause 2: Respawn Bug
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If you recently died, sleeping may break
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Travel back to the last bed you successfully slept in
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Sleep there again to reset the function
📞 Phone Calls Not Working (No Job Marker)
This is user error—but very common.
Correct Calling Procedure:
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Dial using numpad
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Press Enter
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Listen to the entire message
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Do not hang up
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Wait until the NPC hangs up first
Only then will the game activate deliveries or map markers.
🚜 Vehicle Won’t Start / Random Shutoffs
A patch released on January 1, 2026 (v.260101-01) fixed:
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Sorbett engine shutdowns
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Kekmet restart issues
👉 Make sure your game is fully updated via Steam.
For the project car, continue below.
🛠️ Ultimate Corris Rivett “No Start” Diagnostic Checklist
If your project car won’t start, follow this exact order.
| Checkpoint | What to Inspect | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel & Spark | Gas tank, fuel valve, spark plugs installed | Add fuel, open valve, install plugs |
| Timing (Most Common Fix) | Camshaft & crankshaft pulley alignment | Reinstall timing belt correctly |
| Electrical | Battery, starter, alternator, distributor | Tighten and verify wiring |
| Spark Order | Plug wire order | Ensure 1-3-4-2 |
| Carb & Choke | Cold start setup | Pull choke, adjust mixture |
| Community Fixes | Extreme cold or slight timing offset | Warm garage, adjust distributor |
⚠️ Timing belt misalignment solves ~80% of no-start issues
🧪 Last Resort: Save File Diagnosis
Advanced users can use MWC Editor (Nexus Mods) to:
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Check if parts are registered as installed
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Detect silent save corruption
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Diagnose invisible assembly errors
Use only if you know what you’re doing.
✅ Proactive Stability Tips (Highly Recommended)
To prevent future crashes:
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🔄 Keep the game updated
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🧩 Disable mods when troubleshooting
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🎮 Use stable GPU drivers (WHQL)
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💾 Back up saves regularly
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🚫 Avoid outdated forum fixes from pre-2024
🧊 Final Thoughts: Beating the Real Boss of My Winter Car
In My Winter Car, bugs are the ultimate survival challenge. But nearly every crash, freeze, or broken mechanic has a fix—usually discovered by players just as stubborn as you.
With patience, backups, and this guide, you can survive anything the Finnish winter throws at you.
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