Abstract: A method of preventing undesirable vehicle behavior in a vehicle torque control system that includes determining an expected axle torque based on a vehicle speed, a powerplant profile, an accelerator pedal position and/or a cruise control signal. The method also includes estimating an actual axle torque of a powerplant based on a powerplant maximum torque, a throttle position and powertrain inefficiencies and converting the expected axle torque to an expected acceleration and the actual axle torque to an actual acceleration based on a wheel radius and a road load. The method further includes regulating a torque output of a powerplant when a rate-of-change in a difference between the expected acceleration and the estimated actual acceleration is greater than a first threshold.