NHTSA Complaint #10152168 — 1996 EAGLE TALON

THE TRANSFER CASE WENT OUT OF MY TALON TSI AWD TURBO IN 06/05. I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD 75 MPH & BANG!-JERK!BANG!JERK!BANG!JERK! THE STEERING WHEEL ALSO FELT FUNNY, LIKE IT GOT LOOSE AND WASN'T HOOKED TO THE TIRES ANYMORE. I PULLED OVER THE AND HEARD A LOUD CLUNK (METAL ON METAL SORT OF SOUND) AND PUT IT INTO GEAR TO BABY IT INTO WORK, IT MADE MORE NOISES AND JERKS BUT SEEMED TO RUN. I COULD SMELL A BURNING SMELL SO I PARKED. THE SHOP PICKED IT UP AND COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH IT. THEY ASKED IF I WAS SURE I KNEW WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT! I HAD DRIVEN THE CAR FOR 90000 MILES! I KNEW WHAT WASN'T NORMAL! I PICKED IT UP AND GUESS WHAT, IT RAN GREAT! I SPEEDED UP AND SLOWED DOWN AGAIN AND AGAIN AND IT JUST WOULDN'T ACT UP! I COULD FAINTLY SMELL THE BURNING SMELL BUT FIGURED I PICKED UP SOME PIECE OF SOMETHING OFF OF THE ROAD AND IT HAD BEEN STUCK BUT FELL OUT WHEN I STOPPED. I WENT FOR 50 MILES, NO PROBLEMS, THEN THE BANGING AND JERKING STARTED AGAIN MUCH WORSE THIS TIME. I KEPT GOING TO SEE IF IT WOULD STOP AND IT GOT SO LOUD THAT IT SOUNDED LIKE A SLEDGEHAMMER WAS HITTING SOME PART OF THE ENGINE OVER AND OVER. IT WOULD BANG-JERK- BANG -JERK ETC.. AND KEPT GETTING WORSE. THEN IT JUST DIED. THE SHIFTER WENT SLACK. THERE WAS A PUDDLE OF OIL UNDER THE CAR AND THE SMELL OF BURNING FLUID. THE MECHANIC PICKED IT UP AND REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION/TRANSFER WITH A USED ONE. I'M WONDERING IF THIS WAS THE TRANSFER CASE AND NOT THE TRANSMISSION AT ALL! THE MECHANIC SAID THERE WASN'T ENOUGH OIL IN THE TRANSMISSION. I DIDN'T KNOW IF THE TRANSFER CASE AND TRANSMISSION SHARE THE SAME OIL SUPPLY OR NOT. AFTER READING THIS ARTICLE ABOUT THE LOCKING UP THING IT MAKES PERFECT SENSE. ITS FELT JUST LIKE IT WANTED TO LOCK UP BUT FOR SOME REASON DIDN'T THAT FIRST TIME IT ACTED UP. THE TRANSMISSION PLACE SAID THEY HADN'T HEARD OF A TRANSMISSION BANGING AND CLANGING LIKE THAT. *JB