NHTSA Complaint #10119694 — 2001 GMC SONOMA

I HAVE A 2001 GMC SONOMA WHICH WAS BOUGHT NEW IN 2002. THE VEHICLE HAS 78K MILES ON IT. AT FIRST THE VEHICLE WOULD HAVE TROUBLE STARTING. THEN THE TRANSMISSION WOULD SLIP WHEN DRIVEN COLD. AFTER THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, A CODE INDICATED THAT THERE WERE TWO SHIFT SOLENOID MALFUNCTIONS. BOTH SHIFT SOLENOIDS WERE REPLACED. THAT TWO DAYS AGO. TODAY THE TRUCK STARTED UP, SO THE VEHICLE WAS ASSUMED SAFE TO DRIVE. I WAS TRAVELING DOWN A BUSY ROAD AT ABOUT 40 MPH, WITH AN 18 WHEELER TRACTOR TRAILER BEHIND ME, WHEN THE VEHICLE, WITHOUT ANY INDICATION OF MALFUNCTION, SHIFTED FROM OVERDRIVE TO FIRST GEAR (IT IS AN AUTOMATIC) THUS RESULTING IN AN "ENGINE BRAKING" EFFECT WIHICH SLOWED THE VEHICLE DOWN TO ABOUT 25 MPH. THIS WAS VERY SCARY AND LUCKILY THE VEHICLES BEHIND ME REALIZED THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM AND HAD ENOUGH ROOM TO SLOW DOWN. THOUGH THE PROBLEM IS NOT YET KNOWN, IT SEEMS LIKE THERE ARE ALOT "SERVICE BULLETINS" FOR THIS VEHICLE AND ITS CORPORATE COUSIN, THE CHEVY S-10. HOPEFULLY, THIS PROBLEM IS SOLVED BEFORE SOMEONE IS KILLED FROM THE FAILURE. I WILL KEEP YOU POSTED ON WHAT PARTS WERE REPLACED/REPAIRED FROM THE DEALER.