mathmagician92

I used the Autolite Copper Spark Plugs from Autozone that are about $3 each.

Yes, it was doing it worse before adding the cleaner. I hadn't done anything before it started except an oil change and air filter change recently.

I thought about this being a possibility at first, and I do plan on having that done. When it first started doing this, I started dropping it in manual to see if it was related to the gears shifting, but it only makes the sputtering when it is in 3rd gear and I let off the accelerator. If I manually shift to 4th before I let off the pedal, it doesn't seem to do this. I appreciate the information on the throttle body and throttle plate.

Our 2018 Dodge Journey recently started giving us an issue going uphill. We have the 4 cylinder 2.4L engine with 80k miles, and it started sputtering when I go uphill at high speeds (50+). As long as I am accelerating while going uphill, it does not sputter or jerk. As soon as I let my foot off the accelerator to maintain speed, it's like the engine misfires and the car jerks mildly. If I keep accelerating through the hill until I reach a flatter spot, it will shift back into 4th gear and there is never a sputter. It only makes this as soon as I let off the accelerator. It does this in cruise control as well (which is when I noticed it the first time). A lot of people told me it was bad spark plugs, so I changed those and it seemed to make the car run much better for a few days. It ran great the entire time we were on vacation (where it was flat), but as soon as we got back home it started doing it again. Through all of this, it's never thrown any codes on my OBD2 scanner, and the check engine light has never come on. Could it be a sensor or should I try checking the spark plugs again to see if I just got a dud? I've also used a bottle of fuel injector cleaner and it seems to help run stronger, but it still sputters at the top of the hill when I finish accelerating. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated because the dealer can't see us until September.