Hesitation while driving…

[entropy]

Get up and go through a school zone.
I know what she can do. It’s when she acts funny at highway speed. Maybe cruise control scares everyone away from what’s going on.

Try driving it on manual and see how it does. Shift down when you want the engine to respond. If it works fine then it is the auto shifting thats messing with you. Start driving with a bit more weight on the throttle so the transmission adapts.

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[Martial Fartist]

55 is too slow for 8th gear. You’re operating at like 1200-1400 rpm. Of course there’s going to be a delay in acceleration.

If you push it hard (5k rpm or so) from 25-70mph, does it stumble?

Haven’t floored it in a while but it’s the auto going to 8th at 55. Not me.

 

[mwilk012]

Haven’t floored it in a while but it’s the auto going to 8th at 55. Not me.

Correct, but it learned its behavior from you.

 

[Martial Fartist]

I don’t understand what that means. If the speed limit is 55, you drive 55. Not sure how I can make it go into 8th if it’s not supposed let alone how it “learned” to do it.

 

[mwilk012]

I’d imagine you’re using about 1/4 of the total pedal travel ever.

 

[Damon_]

I have the same issue on my 2018, I saw another thread suggesting checking the fuses to make sure they are seated properly. Im going to give it a try

 

[GtX]

I don’t understand what that means. If the speed limit is 55, you drive 55. Not sure how I can make it go into 8th if it’s not supposed let alone how it “learned” to do it.

It sounds like you're driving too slowing, in too high of a gear, and are not in the power band of the motor. When you press the throttle, the transmission has to shift down numerous gears to get the RPMs into the power band where the motor produces the majority of its horse power and torque. This takes time.

If you're driving 20 MPH, in this long school zone where you believe you're going to need the jeep to respond quickly, then shift into manual mode to hold a lower gear and keep the RPMs up.

The Wrangler is a computer. When you press the throttle a microprocessor accepts your request to go faster then consults with a computer which decides what the vehicle does. Over time the computer adapts its response to how you drive. Think of it like a vehicle that has 'eco' and 'sport' modes. When you pick eco or sport the computer reacts differently to the same input which give you the impression of more or less powerful vehicle. Your computer probably thinks you're 'eco' because of the way you drive. Many of us run throttle controllers which allow us to set the response curve how we want when we want.

When you press the throttle the computer thinks; "this guy is never in a hurry and values fuel efficiency so I'll just supply a little bit more fuel and hold the gear and we'll get up to speed in a minute or two... nice and easy, just the way he always wants it. Surely, if this was really urgent he'd push the throttle to the floor".

 

[azjl#3]

What he said ^^^, and, please don't use cruise in a school zone, drive the thing. I want to say the manual says 40mph as the minimum use of cruise, even though it engages that low.

The computer does learn, good or bad, how you drive, and tries to anticipate, giving you the result you are experiencing. If there is no check engine light, There is nothing wrong with it.

20mph through a school zone, the auto should have no issues, and use the gas pedal to maintain speed.

Same for cruise at highway speed, but, any slight hill will result in up or down shift or throttle hunting trying to keep the speed, that might be your sluggish feeling. It's not. When I am negotiating any hills, I usually select manual 8, 7 or 6 or even 5, so it is not always trying to up or downshift.

 

[Ironhorse]

Anyone else have this? The first one happens more, the other tough to duplicate.

• In the mornings cruse control set to 20mph she feels sluggish.
  
  
• At 55mph 8th, 1500-2000 rpm’s she occasionally feels like she is hesitating. Sometimes noticeable as if I was tapping the gas pedal.

This sounds very similar to my issue and several others on here. Running between 1500 to 2000rpm during slight acceleration it intermittently hesitates/stumbles like you slipped off the gas. Took mine back to dealer, took them for test drive and duplicated it for them. They are now opening a case with FCA. The more of us who complain, the more likely FCA will do something about it. Take it in!

 

[Martial Fartist]

This sounds very similar to my issue and several others on here. Running between 1500 to 2000rpm during slight acceleration it intermittently hesitates/stumbles like you slipped off the gas. Took mine back to dealer, took them for test drive and duplicated it for them. They are now opening a case with FCA. The more of us who complain, the more likely FCA will do something about it. Take it in!

Luckily mine ended up being caused by shitty Walmart gas. Once that tank was cycled through the issue went away.

 

[Captain Morgan]

On the drive home after I just bought it with 33 miles on it, it stumbled just like everyone else’s. I think it’s a bad tune as @Ironhorse pointed out on another thread. My guess is that it is exacerbated by the VVTi system kicking in and/or there’s some sort of hiccup in fuel delivery at the same time. Basically, the computer isn’t managing the engine well at that point in the RPM range. I tried a few times to really put my foot into the avcelerator pedal, not flooring it, but deliberately accelerating. It didn’t hiccup. If you are hanging out in the 1900 RPM range with not much acceleration, I believe that’s what’s happening.

 

[JlRubicon13]

This sounds very similar to my issue and several others on here. Running between 1500 to 2000rpm during slight acceleration it intermittently hesitates/stumbles like you slipped off the gas. Took mine back to dealer, took them for test drive and duplicated it for them. They are now opening a case with FCA. The more of us who complain, the more likely FCA will do something about it. Take it in!

Does yours happen only “once” or it seems like multiple small “slips” while accelerating?

 

[Zandcwhite]

You lost me at 20mph feeling sluggish... with the cruise control on? 20mph is sluggish. How would the cruise control help to mkle a very slow speed feel anything but sluggish? Sporty and quick 20mph? Maybe on foot.

 

[Bobby Hank]

Use manual shifting. I have a long school zone on the way to work too. I use 2nd or 3rd gear depending on traffic flow. RPMs stay up and at the end of the zone I zoom away quickly.

 

[bmpcamry09]

If anyone stumbles across this thread, I’ve got a fix for this stumble. Just look at some of my threads and you’ll find it. It was indeed a tuning/VVL issue.

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