A method for controlling a vehicle power train that includes a heat engine connected to the transmission of the vehicle by a clutch controlled between an open position and a closed position of the transmission by a computer of the transmission exchanging information with a computer of the heat engine. The method includes sending, in order to shut down the engine before the clutch is opened when the vehicle is in motion, the kinematic chain being closed and the injection interrupted, a message from the computer of the transmission to the computer of the engine at a first moment in time so as to synchronize an opening of the clutch and the closure of an air flap of the engine at a second moment in time subsequent to the first moment.

A vehicle controller includes processing circuitry configured to execute a counter updating process, first and second starting processes, and a resetting process. The resetting process includes resetting the crank counter when a crank counter has a value outside of a range corresponding to a tooth-missing portion in a case in which a magnitude of a difference obtained by subtracting a value of a pre-update crank counter from the value of the crank counter that was increased by receiving the pulse signal in the counter updating process is greater than a first threshold value corresponding to a specified angle. The resetting process further includes resetting the crank counter when the crank counter has a value within the range corresponding to the tooth-missing portion in a case in which the magnitude of the difference is greater than a second threshold value that is greater than the first threshold value.