NHTSA Complaint #10229756 — 2001 SATURN SL

MY 2001 SATURN SL2 RECENTLY DEVELOPED A SEVER 'BUCK' IN THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WHEN IT SHIFTS. THAT IS, WHEN IT CHANGES GEARS IT EITHER SLAMS INTO THE NEXT OR HESITATES THEN SLAMS. REVERSE IS THE MOST SEVERE AS IT SLAMMED SO HARD THAT IT BROKE THE MUFFLER FROM ITS MOUNT AT THE VERY REAR OF THE VEHICLE. THE FLUID HAS BEEN CHANGED AHEAD OF SCHEDULE ON THE TRANSMISSION, AND THE OILS CHANGES HAVE ALSO BEEN TIMELY. I'VE READ ON SEVERAL FORUMS THAT THIS IS NOT ONLY SYMPTOMATIC OF THE MAKE AND MODEL OF MY CAR, BUT PREDOMINATE IN QUITE A FEW OF THE MODELS IN THE SATURN FAMILY. I'VE SINCE HAD THE FLUID CHANGED TO NO AVAIL OF CORRECTING THE PROBLEM. THE SYMPTOMS DESCRIBED ARE EXACTLY SYNONYMOUS WITH OTHERS POSTED ELSEWHERE ON ELECTRONIC MEDIUMS SUCH AS HERE: HTTP://WWW.CONSUMERAFFAIRS.COM/AUTOMOTIVE/SATURN_TRANS.HTML. THE SYMPTOMS HAVE NOT RESOLVED AND IT IS OBVIOUS THAT SATURN IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT HAS NOT BEEN COMPELLED TO PERFORM ANY REPAIR RECOMPENSE TO THE CONSUMER FOR WHAT STATISTICALLY MUST BE A FAULTY PART KNOWN AS THE POWER CONTROL VALVE. I REALIZE THAT THIS APPEARS TO BE MORE OF A MECHANICAL FAILURE THAN A SAFETY RECALL, AS A TRANSMISSION THAT GOES ON THE MEND CAN HARDLY PRECIPITATE A HIGH-SPEED CRASH RESULTING IN A FATALITY THAT WOULD SPUR AN IMMEDIATE INVESTIGATION. HOWEVER, WITH REPORTS OF MOTORISTS BEING STRANDED, OR THE POSSIBILITY OF A SEVERE 'BUCKING' WHILE BEING TAILGATED, I WOULD HOPE SWIFT INVESTIGATIVE ACTION WOULD BE WARRANTED PRIOR TO ANYMORE CONSUMERS FALLING PREY TO AN UNSTABLE VEHICLE PURCHASE. *TR