Why Is My Car Not Accelerating Properly?

Acceleration is what makes a modern vehicle road-ready and safe. Speed limits on highways demand quick speeds and the ability to control the speed of your car. If you find your vehicle isn't speeding up when you want it to, then that's both an inconvenience and a safety hazard. Due to highway speeds, dropping below a certain speed can even prove to be a road hazard for you, not just a long journey. If you notice difficulty accelerating, consider these four possible culprits.

1. Fuel Filter Clogged: The fuel filter is a fortress against sediment and fuel impurities within your fuel injection system. If the filter is clogged, things deteriorate quickly. Eventually, the contaminants will reach your fuel system and eventually cause a breakdown. Before that, you might get a check engine light or find yourself struggling to accelerate.

2. Bad Air Filter: Your engine has an air filter that needs to take in pure, clean air. Combustion depends on this air for your engine to respond appropriately to your inputs. If something goes wrong, it means contaminants quickly begin to accumulate in your engine, leaving it unable to accelerate responsively. A new air filter installation might just take care of the problem.

3. Throttle Position Sensor: There's something on your vehicle called a throttle valve opening. This sensor monitors this and helps the computer system tell your engine precisely what to do during operation. If you notice your vehicle surges ahead when it shouldn't or is rough idling, your throttle position sensor could be the problem. This will also cause acceleration issues.

4. Bad Mass Air Flow Sensor/Oxygen Sensor: Modern vehicles use sensors to communicate with different components. Computers relay information properly when everything is working right. If something is off with a sensor, things can go downhill quickly. For example, the MAF sensor provides data about airflow to an ECU. An oxygen sensor is equally important and makes corrections to assumed air mass. A check engine light will sometimes come on if this is an issue. The vehicle may not start at all, and if it does get going, you might notice it's hard to keep up to the speed you want.

Each of these problems is a nightmare scenario if you're a frequent highway driver. Don't let yourself get caught in the fast lane, going slow. Our team of certified auto mechanics will diagnose and fix these problems now. Call to schedule.