NHTSA Complaint #11194014 — 2008 CADILLAC SRX

THIS COMPLAINT IS A CONTINUATION OF COMPLAINT BIN23-53927 AND DESCRIBES THE FINDINGS OF THE TRANSMISSION DISASSEMBLY. DISASSEMBLY WAS DELAYED DUE TO MEDICAL TREATMENT UNRELATED TO THIS INCIDENT. TRANSMISSION FAILED SUDDENLY IN HIGH VOLUME "RUSH" HOUR TRAFFIC. TORQUE WAS LOST JUST BEFORE AN EXIT ALLOWING THE VEHICLE TO EXIT WITHOUT POWER HOWEVER THE VEHICLE STOPPED IN MIDDLE LANE OF A SERVICE ROAD. ON COMING VEHICLES HAD TO BRAKE BEHIND THE VEHICLE. SUDDEN TRANSMISSION FAILURE IN HEAVY HIGH SPEED TRAFFIC PRESENTS A HIGH RISK OF REAR COLLISION WITH MULTIPLE VEHICLES AND INJURY. FURTHERMORE, IF THE TRANSMISSION FLUID PUMP HAD NOT FAILED, THE TRANSMISSION COULD HAVE LOCK-UP OR EXHIBITED HIGH SPEED DOWN SHIFTING, DUE TO FAILURE OF OTHER PARTS. THIS INCIDENT SHOULD NOT BE DISMISSED BECAUSE THERE WAS NO ACCIDENT OR PERSONAL INJURY. SOME MOTHER WITH CHILDREN COULD EASILY HAVE A DIFFERENT OUT COME ON A CROWDED LARGE CITY HIGHWAY. NO COMPUTER CODES WERE DISPLAYED. 5LTE-40 5-SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. DISASSEMBLY OF THE TRANSMISSION REVEALED EXCESSIVE METAL PARTICLES AND DEBRIS. THE TRANSMISSION FLUID PUMP FAILED WHICH CAUSED LOSS OF TORQUE DUE TO INADEQUATE FLUID LEVELS IN THE TORQUE CONVERTER. CLOGGING OF THE FLUID "PICK-UP" FILTER ALSO PROBABLY CONTRIBUTED TO REDUCED FLUID FLOW AND FAILURE OF THE FLUID PUMP. A NON-METALLIC WASHER WAS FOUND TO HAVE DISINTEGRATED, ALLOWING FRAGMENTS TO CIRCULATE IN THE TRANSMISSION. THE WASHER SEPARATED 2 SPLINED DRUMS. DISINTEGRATION OF THE WASHER ALLOWED EXCESSIVE MOVEMENT AND CONTACT OF THE DRUMS. RECOMMEND GMC BE CONTACTED TO OBTAIN THEIR COMMENT ON FAILURE OF THESE TRANSMISSIONS, AS WELL AS STATISTICAL REVIEW OF INCIDENT REPORTS TO DETERMINE IF FAILURES ARE STATISTICALLY GREATER THAN IN THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY, IN GENERAL. THE 5LTE-40 AND OTHER TRANSMISSIONS HAVE NO TRADITIONAL "DIP STICK" TO MEASURE TRANSMISSION FLUID LEVEL AND CONTAM