NHTSA Complaint #10508056 — 2007 SATURN AURA

OUR TRANSMISSION STARTED SLIPPING AND JUMPING BETWEEN 40 AND 50MPH AND ATTEMPTS TO STALL OUT. IN REVERSE, THE VEHICLE WILL BARELY MOVE WITHOUT THE TRANSMISSION SLIPPING AND MAKING HORRIBLE NOISES ALSO ATTEMPTING TO STALL OUT. THE VEHICLE HAS LESS THAN 50,000 MILES! THIS IS LUDICROUS! THE DANGER IS THAT THE VEHICLE COULD STALL OUT AT ANY TIME WHILE DRIVING, THEREFORE, PLACING THE DRIVER IN AN UNSAFE SITUATION WITH THE POTENTIAL OF BEING STRUCK BY ONCOMING TRAFFIC; REAR ENDED, ETC. I SPENT HOURS THIS MORNING RESEARCHING THIS ISSUE EXTENSIVELY, VIA NUMEROUS CONSUMER FORUMS, AND DISCOVERED THAT THIS IS AN EXTREMELY COMMON ISSUE WITH THIS PARTICULAR VEHICLE. GM'S RESPONSE, IN ONE FORUM, WAS TO HAVE THE SYSTEM SOFTWARE UPGRADED, THEREBY FIXING THE PROBLEM. THIS APPARENTLY DID NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM IN ALMOST ALL POSTED CASES BUT IS THE APPARENT "GO TO" RESPONSE. I BELIEVE IF THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF CONSUMERS EXPERIENCING THE SAME ISSUE WITH THE SAME VEHICLE, AND THAT ISSUE IS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS, THE MANUFACTURER (GM) IS RESPONSIBLE TO CORRECT THE ISSUE AT NO CHARGE TO THE CONSUMER. I DO NOT BELIEVE IT IS A COINCIDENCE THAT SO MANY VEHICLES "RANDOMLY" HAVE THE SAME DANGEROUS TRANSMISSION FAILURE ISSUE. WHEN CONTACTING GM'S CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE DEPARTMENT THIS MORNING, I WAS INSTRUCTED THAT THE LOCAL DEALER (WHICH THEY TRIED TO CONTACT WITH ME ON HOLD TO NO AVAIL) WOULD PROVIDE THE SOFTWARE UPDATE FREE OF CHARGE (THAT'S THE STANDARD SOLUTION FOR FIRST TIME COMPLAINTS APPARENTLY). AFTER THAT IS COMPLETED, AND IF IT DOESN'T SOLVE THE DANGEROUS TRANSMISSION ISSUE, WE'RE BASICALLY ON OUR OWN TO REPLACE A FAULTY TRANSMISSION. SOMETHING MUST BE DONE ABOUT THIS ISSUE BEFORE SOMEONE HAS TO DIE OR GET SERIOUSLY INJURED BY A FAULTY TRANSMISSION FAILING FOR ACTION TO BE TAKEN. THANK YOU. *TR