# 2002 ford focus sputtering and bucking



## french_rican (Mar 2, 2011)

i have a 2002 ford focus, my problems is this. when i come to a stop or even at a slow roll, then try to accelerate the car refuses to pick up speed and will sputter for a bit before it will pick up speed. but only when accelerating from a slow roll or a complete stop!!! my second problem is, when i am cruising at a steady speed at or between 40 mph to 50 mph the car begins to buck as if it were not getting any fuel. I NEED HELP i dont have hundreds and hundreds of dollars to spend on mechanics etc.... so if u can help me it would be greatly appreciated!!!!!! thank you.


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## jiml8 (Jul 3, 2005)

Check your exhaust system for restrictions. Particularly the catalytic converter.


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## katonca (Aug 10, 2004)

I had a similar prob with my 2003 Ford Taurus. They said it needed a tune-up, so a tune-up was done. The problem remained. A second look showed it needed a coil. The ignition coil was replaced and end of prob. It had around 100,000 miles so it needed a tune-up anyway the way I see it. I'd have someone check the coil along with the exhaust :up:


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## Jon_solo26 (Mar 26, 2011)

This is something that most people don't think about. I would recommend checking your vacuum lines coming off your intake to make sure that there are no broken lose or cracked hoses. Also if u haven't changed your air filter in a wile you may want to change it out.


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## twodogs1984 (Apr 14, 2011)

sounds to me like it's the TP sensor (throttle position)


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## Soundy (Feb 17, 2006)

Sounds very similar to what my 2003 MPV does with a bad coil. In some cars, instead of a central spark coil and distributor, there's a separate small coil on top of each plug, and a single coil going bad could cause this.

Usually a problem like this in a newer car will cause your Check Engine light to come on and/or flash, indicating an error condition - many shops will read your error codes for cheap or even free, and the car will tell you exactly where it has a problem. Some cars also have tricks you can use to read the error code yourself, or you could get a code reader for $100 or so at an auto-parts shop.


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