NHTSA Complaint #10126494 — 1989 OLDSMOBILE CUTLASS SUPREME

DT:CONSUMER WAS CLIMBING A HILL AT 5% GRADE FIVE MILES LONG ON FREEWAY WHEN TRANSMISSION SHIFTED DOWN FROM OVERDRIVE TO SECOND GEAR AND LOCKED IN SECOND. TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT COME OUT OF SECOND GEAR. CONSUMER BELIEVES THIS A SAFETY FEATURE OF THE TRANSMISSION. WHEN VEHICLE IS STOPPED AFTER THIS HAPPENS IT WILL NOT GO TO FIRST GEAR, SO TRYING TO PULL OUT IN SECOND GEAR CAUSES THE TRANSMISSION TO SLIP. CONSUMER SAYS TRANSMISSION WENT OUT LIKE THIS THREE TIMES. FIRST TWO TIMES ON AN UPWARD GRADE, THE THIRD TIME WAS ON A FLAT. THE FIRST TWO TIMES TRANSMISSION FAILED, CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE TO LOCAL SHOP AND HAD A USED TRANSMISSION INSTALLED. VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED FROM THE THIRD TRANSMISSION FAILURE. CONSUMER SAYS THAT OTHER GM OWNERS HAVE TOLD HIM THAT THE TRANSMISSION OVERHEATS, AND SOME PLATE IN THE VALVE BODY MELTS, WHICH CASES TRANSMISSION FLUID TO BE PUMPED OUT OF THE TRANSMISSION ONTO THE ROAD.*AK