Q: Slight jerking when driving and sputtering going up hills.

asked by on November 03, 2016

I have a 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo. First, sometimes when driving around 45mph, I feel little jerks. Barely noticeable but I can feel it jerking. (Or like a catching feeling) Second, when I go up hills, it's like it's bogging out or sputtering. Not getting enough power or something. When that happens, I give it gas, stays the same for a couple seconds then it catches and goes. It happens every time I drive and drive up hills. Everything I see seems normal and I don't smell anything. Vehicle doesn't over-heat.

My car has 127106 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.

Mass Airflow Sensor Replacement $188.36 - $786.53 Get a Quote
Loss of power Inspection $94.99 - $114.99 Get a Quote

This may be a sign of a dirty or failing mass air flow sensor. The mass air flow sensor is a unit in the intake system that monitors air intake as it is mixed with fuel prior to being injected into the motor. When this fails, this can cause an imbalanced air/fuel load to be supplied to the motor which results in an over fueling or under fueling situation depending on the conditions. This is what causes the hesitation or loss of power you describe. This can also cause the engine to struggle to idle for the same reason. To avoid any unnecessary repairs, I would suggest having a professional from YourMechanic come to your home to diagnose your loss of power conditions firsthand and service mass air flow sensor if necessary.

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