What Causes the Jerking Sensation When Accelerating While Driving?

[DelCarter]

There are several reasons why a car may jerk when accelerating while driving: 1. Upshift Jerking: This is mostly due to the transmission not responding quickly enough, causing the upshift speed to lag behind the acceleration pedal input. 2. Downshift Jerking: This is often caused by the intervention of the energy recovery system. Once the driver releases the accelerator pedal or presses the brake pedal, the generator immediately starts working, placing a load on the engine and affecting its speed. This causes the engine speed and the clutch plate speed to be out of sync, resulting in a jerking sensation. 3. Low-Speed Jerking: At low speeds, the frequent switching between first and second gears causes the clutch to continuously engage and disengage. If the power transmission cannot be smoothly completed in a short time, it leads to the common low-speed jerking. This is normal during startup and low-speed driving, usually due to the turbocharger engaging at low RPMs, which affects the engine speed.