Are you having problems with your car's acceleration? Here's how to fix it

If your car jerks when accelerating – you are absolutely not the only one.

Because many engine parts can fail, this is a common issue in cars.

To run effectively, a car engine requires the correct air-fuel mixture. A car engine that has an insufficient ratio of air-fuel will fail to perform one combustion cycle and eventually stop functioning. Let’s begin with a quick look at the common causes.

A dirty filter, or an incorrect MAF sensor is the most likely reason why a car is having trouble accelerating. You may also experience other fuel-related problems such as an evaporative coolant leak. faulty fuel pump, fuel injector, Or a blocked air filter. Bad spark plugs or ignition issues could be the cause.

These are the most common causes of why your car jerks when accelerating, but let’s go a little bit deeper into it.

Below is a more comprehensive list of 10 causes your car might jerk while you are accelerating.

There are 10 Reasons Why Your Car Jerks Whenever You Accelerate

1. Dirty Air Filter

It ensures that the engine receives fresh air all the time without letting dirt or dust through, which could cause engine damage.

The air filter should be replaced regularly, and if it hasn’t been done in a while, it can get filthy, especially if you live in a very dusty place. Checking the air filter is easy to do – so check it and replace it if it is terrible.

2. Filter for Mass Air Flow Sensors that are Dirty, Damaged or Incomplete

The engine's mass airflow sensor monitors the amount of air inlet. The sensor may accumulate a lot over the years and can read an incorrect amount of air entering the engine.

It can lead to a problem with the air-fuel combination, and your engine may start skidding on acceleration. Clean the sensor with an electric cleaner. It should be replaced if it's faulty.

3. Fuel filter clogged

It is not unusual for a fuel filter to become clogged. Every time you fill up your vehicle with fuel, dirt and dust can build up in the tank.

If the fuel filter gets clogged, the engine won’t get enough fuel to function properly, and you may experience jerking and hiccups when trying to accelerate.

Replacing the fuel filter is often pretty cheap and easy to do, so if you haven’t done it in a while, you should replace it.

4. Problems with the Fuel Pump

Faulty fuel pumps can lead to similar issues as a blocked fuel filter. This leads to lean mixture for the engine. It is not easy to replace the fuel pump, which can often be found inside the tank.

Before replacing the fuel pump, you need to be certain that it is working properly. Installing a fuel pressure gauge at the fuel rail can help you determine if it is defective.

If you have replaced the fuel filter and the fuel pressure is low on acceleration – you have a bad fuel pump or fuel pressure regulator.

5. Faulty Fuel Injector

Each cylinder is controlled by the fuel injectors. Each cylinder has one fuel injector.

One of your fuel injectors can fail, which will cause misfires and jerks when trying to accelerate the car.

Although this isn't a common issue, it should be noted that you must make sure they aren't broken again before replacing them.

6. Bad Spark Plugs

The spark plugs control the ignition in the combustion chamber, and without them, your car won’t run at all.

Spark plugs can wear over time. A faulty spark plug could cause misfires that can lead to jerking in acceleration. They are pretty easy and cheap to replace, so if you haven’t done it in a while, you should absolutely do it.

7. EGR Valve Faulty

EGR valves control the emission gases that should be returned to the engine. If it releases too much or too little exhaust gases into the intake – your air-fuel mixture might get wrong, which will cause misfires.

Some cars allow you to plug your EGR valve pipe. If possible – try to remove the EGR connector and plug the pipe to see if the problem is getting better.

8. Bad Ignition Copper/s

You might be able to see that the ignition coil is what gives spark to spark plugs. A bad coil could cause misfires.

There are different ignition coils for each cylinder. Some cars may have two. You may have one or more faulty ignition coils if you have multiple. Check the trouble codes for any specific cylinder the misfires occur on – and replace the ignition coil on the given cylinder to see if that is the problem.

9. Blockage or clogging of the catalytic converter

Your car's catalytic converter helps it pass the emissions tests. It also makes our environment more pleasant. Sometimes, internal components of the catalytic convert can become loose.

This can cause the exhaust pipe to become blocked and create too much back pressure in the exhaust system – which will make your car jerk on acceleration.

To check if the catalytic converter is blocked or missing parts, remove it and inspect it.

10. Transmission issues

When your car jerks when accelerating, it doesn’t have to be a problem with the engine, actually. Sometimes, the problem can occur in rear cases.

This could be caused by a slippage in your clutch or other damage to the transmission. Transmissions are complex things, so if you think it is a problem with it – you do best to let a professional mechanic handle it instead.