NHTSA Complaint #10159974 — 2001 CHEVROLET S10

TRANSMISSION IN MY 2001 S10 CHEVROLET 4WD P/U FAILED AS I WAS DRIVING BEHIND A SCHOOL BUS...CHILDREN WERE LET OFF AND AS I TRIED TO ACCELERATE, THE TRANSMISSION FAILED WITHOUT WARNING AND THE VEHICLE BEHIND ME ALMOST HIT ME FROM BEHIND.. I PULLED OVER TO LET VEHICLES PASS AND PUT MYSELF IN A POSITION WHERE I HAD TO BACK UP FIRST TO GET BACK ON THE ROAD.. I PUT MY TRUCK IN REVERSE AND COULDN'T MOVE AT ALL.. I FOUND THAT I HAD 1ST AND THIRD GEAR BUT NO 2ND FOURTH OR REVERSE..THE TRANSMISSION HAD NO PRIOR SYMPTOMS OF ANYTHING BEING WRONG.. WHEN I TOOK THIS VEHICLE TO A DEALER...I EXPLAINED THE SITUATION AND THE MECHANIC KNEW EXACTLY WHAT HAD HAPPENED.. HE STATED THAT SUN SHELL HAD BROKE INSIDE THE TRANSMISSION..HE THEN SHOWED MY SEVERAL OTHER BROKEN SUN SHELLS HE HAD TO REPLACE IN OTHER VEHICLES AND HOW POORLY THEY WERE MANUFACTURED AND THAT GM HAD REPLACEMENT PARTS MADE OF A HIGHER STANDARD THAT WAS SUITABLE FOR THE APPLICATION...HE ESTIMATED THE REPAIR BILL TO BE APPROXIMATELY 1600 DOLLARS!!!HOPING THAT THERE WASN'T ANY OTHER DAMAGE TO DRIVING FURTHER WITH THIS BROKEN PART...MY QUESTION IS THIS...IF GM KNOWS THESE PARTS A FAULTY AND NOTIFIED THEIR MECHANICS TO REPLACE THEM WITH A PART THAT THEY KNOW WILL HOLD UP TO THE TASK, WHY SHOULD THE CONSUMER BE SUBJECT TO A 1600 DOLLAR OR BETTER REPAIR BILL, AND WHY ISN'T THERE A RECALL ON THIS??..THE MECHANIC STATED THAT HE WAS SURPRISED MINE LASTED AS LONG AS IT DID SAYING HE SAW THIS TRANSMISSION PART FAIL WITH AS LITTLE AS 35000 MILES ON THEM...I APPRECIATE ANY HELP ON THIS MATTER AS I YET HAVE TO DECIDE WHETHER TO HAVE THIS REPAIR DONE OR NOT..I AM REALLY SURPRISED AT A COMPANY SUCH AS GM WOULD KNOWINGLY SELL VEHICLES WITH INADEQUATE PARTS, AND HOPE THEY OUTLAST THEIR WARRANTIES SO THE CONSUMER WOULD BE STUCK PAYING THE BILL TO HAVE THEIR MECHANICS REBUILD THEIR FAULTY TRANSMISSIONS TO SATISFACTORY STANDARDS.....THANKS FOR YOUR TIME CONCERNING THIS MATTER............TOM. *JB