NHTSA Complaint #11004992 — 2011 BUICK REGAL

WHILE MERGING ONTO A BUSY HIGHWAY, THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO 3RD GEAR. IT LOST POWER AND ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. THERE WAS NO PREVIOUS WARNING OF A TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. THE TRAFFIC WAS HEAVY BECAUSE OF THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND. WITH LITTLE ROOM TO MERGE, I ATTEMPTED TO SPEED UP WITH TRAFFIC WHEN IT FAILED. I WAS FORCED TO PULL OVER AND LIMP ALONG THE SIDE OF THE ROAD IN SECOND GEAR UNTIL THE NEXT EXIT WITH CARS FLYING BY AT 70-80 MPH. THIS WAS CAUSED BY THE "WAVE PLATE" IN THE TRANSMISSION COMING APART ACCORDING TO THE TRANSMISSION SHOP. THEY ALSO SAID THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THESE TRANSMISSIONS. BUICK KNOWS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AS LISTED IN 2007-2009 RECALLS BUT DOES NOT DO ANYTHING FOR 2011 MODELS. THERE IS ALSO A PIA BULLETIN PI0780A FOR THIS EXACT SAME PROBLEM AND MODEL YEAR. GM REFUSED TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR IT. THERE ARE SEVERAL FORUMS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. IT IT GOING TO GET SOMEONE KILLED.