NHTSA Complaint #10456164 — 2004 CHEVROLET VENTURE

TRANSMISSION BEGAN SHIFTING HARD IN MARCH 2012 (69998 MILES ON VEHICLE). PROGRESSED TO, SLIPPING WHEN STARTING TO MOVE FROM STOP, AND WOULD CATCH ABRUPTLY CAUSING A LURCH FORWARD. I HAD THE TROUBLE CODES READ, FOUND PO-1811 STORED IN VEHICLE COMPUTER. CONTACTED CHEVY DEALER, AND WAS TOLD TRANSMISSION WAS BAD. THE DEALER STRONGLY SUGGESTED A NEW TRANSMISSION OVER REPAIR/REBUILD, ESTIMATES RANGED FROM $2700.00 TO REPAIR, OR $3000.00 TO REBUILD, AND $3400.00 FOR NEW. ALSO, WAS TOLD THE OLD TRANSMISSION WOULD BE KEPT BY GM AS A "CORE" EVEN WHEN BUYING A "NEW" TRANSMISSION. CONTACTED GM CUSTOMER SERVICE, AND WAS OFFERED A TEARDOWN AND INSPECTION AT $1500.00 MY COST, WITHOUT ANY PROMISE OF ASSISTANCE FROM GM. FROM THAT POINT, I COULD CHOOSE BETWEEN REPAIR/REBUILD, OR NEW TRANSMISSION AT REGULAR PRICES (EXAMPLE: FOR A NEW TRANSMISSION $2100.00 + $1500.00 FOR TEARDOWN = $3600.00, OR $4200.00 FOR REPAIR, AND $4500.00 FOR REBUILD). AT THAT POINT GM WOULD REVIEW THE DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION DETAILS FOR POSSIBLE MONETARY COMPENSATION. THE CRITERIA FOR GM'S DECISION INCLUDES "COULD THE FAILURE HAVE BEEN PREVENTED, BY ACTION/S FROM THE OWNER". WAS ALSO INFORMED BY THE DEALER SERVICE WRITER, GM REQUESTS OWNERS SERVICE THE TRANSMISSION AT 100,000 MILE INTERVALS AND NO OTHER SERVICE IS REQUIRED FOR PROPER MAINTENANCE. FURTHER, I WAS ASSURED I WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PREVENT THE TRANSMISSIONS FAILURE. ANOTHER EMPLOYEE IN THE SAME DEALERSHIPS SERVICE DEPARTMENT INFORMED ME GM IS VERY AWARE OF THIS TRANSMISSIONS RECORD OF PREMATURE FAILURE, ALSO THAT HE OWNS A LATE MODEL IMPALA, WITH THE SAME TRANSMISSION, WHICH IS ALSO FAILING. *TR