Q: Car is losing and acquiring power sporadically. Electronic Throttle Control Light is illuminated.

asked by on November 14, 2016

While driving last night the car was losing and gaining power sporadically causing my car to lurch and sputter. While this was happening the Electronic Throttle Control light came on but the check engine light did not I immediately pulled over to the side of the road and attempted to figure out the problem or problems with the car. Is it clogged fuel injectors? Bad spark plug? Damaged ETC? I don't know please help me figure out how to address these issues as cheaply as possible for I don't have much money

My car has 134179 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.

Loss of power Inspection $94.99 - $114.99 Get a Quote
Throttle Position Sensor Replacement $144.21 - $717.44 Get a Quote

This may be a sign of a failing throttle position sensor (also known as an Electronic Throttle Control). The throttle position sensor (TPS) is a sensor used to monitor the throttle position of the throttle plate inside the throttle body in relation to your foot position on the gas pedal. Based upon the inputs from the sensor reading your foot’s position on the pedal, the ECU then makes the direction to supply more or less fuel to the motor. When this sensor is not working properly, this can cause intermittent responses when pressing the gas pedal. If you’d like to get this fixed, I would suggest having a professional from YourMechanic come to you home to diagnose your loss of power and service your throttle control system as necessary.

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