Car starts to sputter after driving a short distance

When you have an engine running problem, you need to list which engine you have so we can look up the right information. You also have not provided any clues, observations, history, or test result we can analyze. There is no way to know if fuel pressure is dropping off, spark is cutting out due to a failing sensor, or if the engine simply needs a tune-up. A good place to start is by having the diagnostic fault codes read and recorded. The people at many auto parts stores will do that for you for free.