Q: Going uphill, truck stutters a bit, then abs light comes on. Also stutters when trying to accelerate from on ramp on to highway.

asked by on June 30, 2017

During morning commute, truck drives fine until i have to go over a bridge, on the way up, the truck will stutter a little bit, then the abs light will come on, and stay on for rest of commute, 20 minutes, then at startup later on it is off. Also, when light is on and trying to accelerate, truck will stutter before proceeding normally. I have not noticed any problems with shifting. I don't know if it is an abs sensor issue, or a brake issue, but I haven't noticed any problems with braking hard. Hopefully, one of your mechanics is familiar with a situation like this or can diagnose it.

My car has 130000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.

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Unless the ABS system is actually activating, that system would not be implicated as a "cause" of the poor acceleration. In any event, once the ABS codes are read by the mechanic using a scanner, it will be evident what is wrong with that system. In other words, the occurrence of the ABS warning light during these incidents of poor acceleration is probably a coincidence. The ABS issue will be resolved if you request an ABS system diagnostic.


Inadequate or delayed acceleration has a variety of causes. Fuel injectors can become clogged over time as the tiny passages become clogged. When an injector is clogged it can degrade the performance of the vehicle and the car may accelerate slowly or feel that it does not have enough power. Other symptoms include a rough idle, a vehicle that is hard to start and a decrease in fuel efficiency. A defective fuel pump will not supply enough fuel to the injectors. This can cause the vehicle to accelerate slowly, or even sputter and stall, especially at high speeds. A clogged fuel filter can also restrict the amount of fuel that reaches the injectors. A dirty airflow sensor can cause the wrong data to be be sent to the computer. A slow accelerating car is the result of this incorrect data. It may also trigger the Check Engine light. Other causes of poor acceleration are vacuum leaks, a defective throttle position sensor and a defective idle air control valve. To get the underlying cause of the problem resolved, you can request an engine diagnostic for slow acceleration. The responding certified mechanic will get this taken care of for you. If you have further questions or concerns, do not hesitate to re-contact YourMechanic as we are always here to help you.

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