I was thinking the same thing. The mech also said that aSLIGHT pause (like the engine is dying)when you come to a stop wasnormal because the generator doesn't run all the time. This is to squeeze every last drop of gas to increase the miles per gallon.

 

Mine was doing the same thing, like chugging .....ended up being bad gas.. I put that gas cleaner stuff in the tank and filled it up with new gas the walla...she is happy !

 

This wasn't chugging in the sense that it did it only once like completely dying then coming back to life w/o dash lighting up. Did this with brakes onwhen I'd slowed to20 mph and alsoat a dead stop every time.