NHTSA Complaint #10120773 — 2001 CADILLAC CATERA

MY VEHICLE'S SPORT SHIFTING INDICATOR LIGHT CAME ON ABOUT A WEEK BEFORE THE TRANSMISSION FAILURE. MY CAR WOULD REFUSE TO SHIFT OUT OF FIRST GEAR UNTIL I DROVE IT FOR A FEW MILES AND/OR TURNED THE CAR OFF AND RESTARTED IT. I WAS IN A LOCAL TOWN WHEN THE FRONT END STARTED TO SHUDDER AND MAKE NOISE. I TOOK IT TO A AUTO TRANSMISSION SHOP WHO STATED THE SENDING UNIT FOR THE FLUID FAILED AND IT HAD BURNED OUT THE FIRST GEAR. HE STATED THAT THIS WAS MOST LIKELY A MANUFACTURE DEFECT. I CONTACTED GM HEADQUARTERS AND WAS REFUSED ANY HELP IN FIXING THE ISSUE OR RESOLVING THE ISSUE. THEY STATED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS BECAUSE IT HAD NOT HAD A SUFFICIENT HISTORY WITH GM DEALERSHIPS GETTING MAINTENANCE, AND THAT I WAS THE THIRD OWNER. KEEP IN MIND, THIS TRANSMISSION WENT OUT AFTER MY OWNING THE VEHICLE FOR ONLY 9 MOS, PAID 14,000.00 FOR THE CAR AND ONLY HAS 73,000 MILES ON IT. I NOW AM UNABLE TO DRIVE MY CAR UNTIL IT IS FIXED, WHICH I AM QUOTED 1500.00 FOR A REBUILD AND A YEAR WARRANTY THAT I CANNOT AFFORD AT THIS TIME AND HAVING TO DRIVE A VERY UNRELIABLE AND VERY UNSAFE VEHICLE IN THE MEANTIME. I JUST WANT MY CAR BACK.