Q: Recently, my 2005 Chrysler Crossfire with 30,000 miles has developed an intermittent hesitation when starting from a stop. Sometimes, it takes about three seconds before the engine will respond to my foot. Also intermittent is a slightly rough idle. The Chrysler dealer did experience the problem but could find no stored error codes and could not capture any on their temporary monitor while they drove it for two days. The dealer said to keep driving the car and "maybe it will throw a code." My concern is the acceleration hesitation is dangerous when I am driving in traffic. Are there any service bulletins regarding this or is there something besides fuel injector cleaner and gas tank water eliminator both which I have already tried?-- Mark, Oak Lawn

A: Mark, your Crossfire has electronic throttle control, or "drive-by-wire." That means there's no mechanical connection between your foot and the throttle valve on the engine. Instead, your car has accelerator pedal position sensors mounted on the pedal and they tell the engine control computer what your foot is doing. Once the engine control computer receives that signal, it sends a signal to an electric motor mounted on the throttle to actuate the throttle valve to the proper position.

While a slight lag or delay is typical in these systems, 3 seconds is too long. Problems in this type of system could include faulty position sensors, poor electrical connections, or a faulty throttle motor. I looked and found no service bulletins regarding your concern. I'd recommend taking it to a different Chrysler dealer. If that's no help, contact Chrysler at 1-800-992-1997.

Q: When I start my 2002 Monte Carlo the Cruise Control Panel light comes on and the heater and air conditioner won't work. This lasts for a couple of minutes and then everything works again. When this happens, if I turn the air/heat on, the light on the dash goes off but the air/heat still doesn't work. I was told it could be a wire or a module but I had the module that controls the air replaced about two years ago. It wasn't doing the same thing it is now. It just wasn't working. I spent about $500 then. Could this be the same module, and if so, are modules guaranteed? Also, can something be done without me having to bring it back to the dealer?-- Donna, e-mail

A: Donna, electronic modules are not usually guaranteed. But before you have any parts replaced, have an ASE-certified technician inspect the wiring at the various control modules associated with your concerns. Apparently, there's a problem with the metal (female) terminals of various electrical connectors not making a good connection with their opposing (male) terminals at various control modules. G.M. issued a service bulletin (03-06-04-012A) back in 2005 concerning this issue. It requires a technician to remove the connectors from various modules and insert a test (male) terminal into each (female) terminal of the connector to verify (by doing a "pull test") if there's proper contact between the two. If not, the terminals in the connector will need to be replaced.

AutoAdviser: Ira Siegel is an Automotive Instructor and ASE Certified Master Auto Technician. If you have auto-related questions for Ira Siegel you can call and leave your questions at the Auto Adviser Hotline at 708-633-6839 or e-mail a question to Autoadvisr@aol.com.