Delayed Response When Pressing Accelerator - What's This and How to Fix?

Most drivers have experienced this bad feeling when they are trying to accelerate and pressing the gas pedal but the vehicle hesitates for some time and then sharply or slowly the engine starts revving up. Delayed response when pressing the accelerator is a very common problem in all gas- or diesel-powered vehicles and there are several reasons that can cause it.

Engine power problems highlights

• Level of urgency:Medium
• DIY inspection:Possible but may be complicated
• DIY repair:Sometimes, possible
• Cost of repair:$200 - $650
• Can you drive?In most cases, yes
• Commonreasons:A largelist of reasons, including fuel and air supply, electronics, glitches, but not limited to those.
• Ways to fix:Use code scanner to locate the problem and solve it

Is it a problem or does your car drive like that always?

We've met some drivers who were really concerned with a strange hesitation in their vehicles. But when we asked some questions, it appeared that their vehicles did like that from day one since they bought them. In this case, you should check if other vehicles of the same model and with the same engine type do the same. If yes, just relax and drive further - this is how your car works.

Here are some reasons for a delayed response on the gas pedal that you shouldn't repair:

• your vehicle has a CVT transmission - these transmission types are known to have what's called rubber band issue and they can hesitate when accelerating;
• the ECU in your engine has this feature that stops it from immediate sharp revving up - common for big non-turbo engines in pickup trucks;
• your injection system is pretty old and has inefficient fuel injectors that just can't work fast enough - the engine has old technology and this can't be repaired;
• your engine is old and has a lot of miles on it - you should thank it for still working and not demand sports driving from it;
• you have a small-displacement non-turbo engine and are trying to haul or tow something heavy - don't expect fast acceleration;
• you are driving on ice or snow - your wheels spin but the car won't accelerate because of slipping tires.

If you recognized one of the situations, you may not keep reading. Your car doesn't have any problems - it's OK. One of the golden rules to understand that everything is good with your vehicle is to check whether something changed or not. If your car did this from the day one you got it, it's OK (unless you got it used and in bad condition).

But if your vehicle has developed hesitation and delayed response to the gas pedal, you should start worrying. Or at least read the article further and find the solution to your problem.

Quick DIY diagnosis and repair

You will not be able to repair the vehicle by yourself unless you have some experience in this. But sometimes, you can save money and time and diagnose the problem yourself. At least, you can work with some common ideas of hesitation and find the source of the problem.

Here are some things you can do without professional help:

• Check your wheels. In some cases, the car may delay its response on the gas pedal because the brakes are failing. One of the wheels may be always braking and this will cause hesitation and delayed response.
• Check the pedal. We've seen cars with the problematic pedal unit. The gas pedal should be tightly mounted, it shouldn't have any free play. If it has, the reason for your problem may be the pedal itself.
• Check the spark plugs. Just take the plugs off the engine and compare them. If one of the plugs is black or differs from the other ones in some way, it may be the reason for your problem.
• Look at your parking brake. Many people forget about the parking brake and think their car hesitates. But it actually just needs the parking brake to be released. Also, the parking brake may get stuck and still brake on the rear wheels.
• Check if the engine revs up well when not in gear. If it does great, then the problem may be with a tranny. If it still delays revving up, the problem is most likely with the engine or its sensors.

Now you know how to locate the problem. Or at least to check the most obvious reasons for this issue. If your car delays the response when you are pressing the gas pedal, you should check all the possible reasons and eventually find the unit that is in charge of the situation. This will help you better understand what's going on with your car and find the proper solution.

What units can cause the engine to delay response?

There are quite a lot of parts in your vehicle that can cause a bad response when you press the gas pedal. If this happens, you should have the vehicle diagnosed and then repaired. If you are not a car mechanic, repairing your car without any professional help will be too challenging.

Here are the units that should be checked first:

• engine sensors - the hesitation may be connected to problems with camshaft, crankshaft sensors, throttle body sensors, and some other electronics in your engine;
• injection system - if one of the injectors fails or the fuel pump can't provide the engine with the proper fuel pressure, the engine will delay its response;
• spark plugs and coils - the ignition system may suffer and then cause hesitation because the fuel isn't ignited properly;
• air intake issues - check the air filter and other possible blockages, also check the air sensors;
• timing problems - very often, your engine may hesitate or delay its response when the timing is not perfect, the belt or the chain should be reinstalled or better replaced;
• problems with the engine head - if something is wrong with valves, your engine may lose power and hesitate as hell;
• one cylinder doesn't work - this may happen because of the head or block problems or also because of new tech such as active fuel management or cylinder management failures;
• bad fuel - this may happen if your car was standing still for a long time, the gasoline lost its octane number, and shouldn't be used anymore.

Other issues can also cause this such as throttle body problems, ECU issues, overheating, overall engine wear, exhaust system damage or clogging, catalytic converter problems, EGR problems, etc. We can't list all possible issues because this will take us too long and you will be bored to read.

So, lots of problems are possible and you will certainly need professional help to diagnose and solve the problem. Best inspection should start with a scanner and also visual control of some of the units and parts listed above.

How to solve the problem?

If your vehicle started hesitating and you feel a delayed response when pressing the gas pedal, you should take your car to a mechanic for diagnosis. Scanners and experience will help the mechanic find the problem and solve it.

In terms of cost, we can't make any predictions. If the problem is in a faulty spark plug, the problem can be solved for $20. But if the engine wear is the issue, you can need to pay several thousand dollars for the repair.

DIY repairs may only be a good idea if you could easily locate the problem by yourself. Otherwise, you can make things even worse and eventually pay even more money because of your own mistakes.

We highly recommend taking your car in for inspection and buying only good OEM parts to ensure your repair will allow you to drive the vehicle for a long time without going from one repair shop to another.

Final thoughts

We believe hesitation in the car is one of the worst things you can experience in your vehicle. It's not only annoying, but it also can lead to dangerous situations on the road. For example, you may need to speed up faster when you are overtaking some vehicle on the highway. But with the delayed response to the gas pedal, you never know how your car will act.

Don't drive for a long time with this problem. Arrange a visit to the dealer or to the trusted repair shop in your area and have the vehicle inspected and then repaired.

We also think that some cars just come with this little hesitation problem because of their transmission types or different engine settings. And you should check whether this is your case or not. If it is, you can't do anything to fix the problem because it's basically not a problem but a feature of the vehicle.