2010 Ford Escape acceleration problems—any ideas?

I’ve got a 2010 Ford Escape FWD (V6, 3.0L) with 183,000 km on it. Lately, it hasn’t been accelerating smoothly. I have to gently tap the gas pedal, and if it starts losing power, I take my foot off and then slowly press it again.

This morning, I tried accelerating from a stop (a bit faster than usual), and the car got super jerky and didn’t feel like it was accelerating properly. When I pushed the gas pedal, it just got louder (like a “vroom vroom” noise), but not much power. I turned the car off and back on, and that seemed to fix it temporarily.

I’m planning to take it to a mechanic soon, but does anyone have any guesses? Last month, my mechanic mentioned it might be the spark plugs. Could it be something else?

Appreciate any advice!

Spark plugs sound like a good starting point. But it’s kind of a ‘throw parts at it until it’s fixed’ type of guess.

Ozzy said:
Spark plugs sound like a good starting point. But it’s kind of a ‘throw parts at it until it’s fixed’ type of guess.

Thanks! I’ll give the spark plugs a shot. I also think I might need a new torque sensor, so I might get it all done at the same time.

Plugs, coils, and air filter would be the first things to check. Even if they’re not the issue, they’re probably due for replacement anyway.

If it’s not that, it could be the transmission or torque converter starting to go.

@Merlin
Thanks for the suggestions. I really hope it’s not the transmission or torque converter—those sound expensive! I’ve already spent $2,500 recently on tires, brakes, a battery, and suspension work.

Along with plugs and coils, it could also be a clogged catalytic converter. Driving with bad plugs or coils for too long can cause that to happen.