NHTSA Complaint #10487212 — 2008 GMC ACADIA

I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THE SAFETY OF THE 2008 GMC ACADIA AND SIMILAR GM VEHICLES, AS I WAS DRIVING WITH MY FAMILY OUT OF TOWN WHEN THE TRANSMISSION SUDDENLY HAD PROBLEMS SHIFTING IN AND OUT OF GEARS. WHILE DRIVING THE WEEKEND AFTER THANKSGIVING AND APPROXIMATELY 4 HOURS FROM HOME, OUR 2008 GMC ACADIA STARTED DOWN-SHIFTING HARD AFTER PASSING A VEHICLE ON THE HIGHWAY. A FEW MINUTES LATER THIS REPEATED, AND THEN THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. SOON AFTER, WHEN ALMOST TO OUR DESTINATION, THE VEHICLE HAD NO POWER TO GET UP HILLS ON THE HIGHWAY, AND ONCE WE EXITED, COULD BARELY MAKE IT OFF THE EXIT RAMP AND THROUGH A VERY BUSY INTERSECTION. IT SEEMED TO BE STUCK IN A HIGH GEAR. BEING LATE FRIDAY AFTERNOON ON A HOLIDAY WEEKEND AND NOW IN A RURAL AREA, THERE WEREN'T ANY REPAIR SHOPS THAT WERE EITHER OPEN OR COULD LOOK AT IT. SO WE HAD TO RENT A CAR AND ATTEMPT TO DRIVE THE ACADIA BACK ANOTHER 40-50 MILES TO GET TO A CHEVY DEALER THAT WAS OPEN AND COULD AT LEAST CHECKOUT THE TRANSMISSION. ON SATURDAY THEY CONFIRMED IT WAS THE TRANSMISSION, AND SPECIFICALLY THE 3-5-R WAVE PLATE, BUT THE VEHICLE WOULDN'T BE READY UNTIL THE FOLLOWING WEEK. LATER I RESEARCHED AND FOUND THIS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM, BUT IT STILL WASN'T BEING RECALLED BY GM. LUCKILY WE WERE BARELY (1 MONTH) INSIDE OF OUR POWER TRAIN WARRANTY AND DIDN'T GET HURT. I WILL SAY THAT THE CHEVY DEALER THAT DID THE REPAIR WAS GREAT TO WORK WITH, ESPECIALLY SINCE WE WERE FROM OUT OF TOWN. BUT NOW I'M WORRIED ABOUT BEING ABLE TO SAFELY DRIVE THIS VEHICLE FOR ANY SIGNIFICANT DISTANCE FROM OUR HOME. *TR