Why does the car jerk when accelerating?
2 Answers
The reason why the car jerks when accelerating is: during gear shifting, the throttle and clutch are not properly coordinated, causing the vehicle to experience noticeable sudden deceleration followed by sudden acceleration, which is a relatively obvious jerking sensation. However, in automatic transmissions, since the shifting is controlled by the computer, theoretically it should be smoother. However, due to the structure of the transmission, the jerking sensation in automatic transmission models may only vary in intensity. If the jerking sensation is not part of the car's normal operation, you can perform some simple checks yourself, such as whether the wrong fuel was used. Using lower-grade gasoline may result in weak acceleration, leading to reduced engine power and increased fuel consumption.
I've been repairing cars for over a decade, and the most common cause of this jerky throttle issue is problems with the ignition system. Especially when spark plugs need replacement or ignition coils are aging, the car behaves like it's gasping for air—stepping on the accelerator feels like someone's pulling it forward two steps then stopping one step. I've also seen many young car enthusiasts using low-quality fuel, which clogs the fuel injectors completely. When fuel doesn't spray smoothly, the car naturally jerks forward intermittently. My advice is you should get it checked immediately. Last year, a Camry with this exact issue ended up with all three spark plugs in its cylinders burnt out, costing over 8,000 yuan for a major repair. Oh, and a dirty mass airflow sensor can also cause this. Once after maintenance, I forgot to tighten the intake pipe clamp properly, and the car drove like it was dancing—so don't forget to check that too.
