More likely solution: I suspect your thermostat is stuck open ( at least some of the time).
Your temp gauge will stay low, because the engine is being over-cooled. Of course, the engine controller will (eventually) figure out that it's not getting warm enough to consistently get into closed-loop operation.
I'll bet you've also noticed that the heater isn't working very well, either. This is exactly what my Windstar did, just a few weeks ago. A new thermostat cured all.
