NHTSA Complaint #765672 — 1999 DODGE INTREPID

I DROVE MY CAR TO WORK WITHOUT INCIDENT. CAR WAS PARKED AT WORK OVERNIGHT. LEFT WORK THE NEXT MORNING, WHILE ACCELERATING UP TO SPEED I NOTICED THAT THE CAR WAS JERKING HARD AS IT SHIFTED THROUGH THE GEARS (AUTOMATIC). BEFORE I GOT HOME (3 MILES FROM WORK) THE ENGINE CHECK LIGHT CAME ON. WHEN I ARRIVED AT HOME I CYCLED THE SHIFTER FROM PARK TO DRIVE (WHILE CAR WAS PARKED IN GARAGE). WHILE DOING THIS THE TRANSMISSION WOULD HESITATE AND THEN SHIFT VERY HARD INTO DRIVE WHICH MADE THE CAR LURCH FORWARD (PARK AND FOOT BRAKE WERE APPLIED). I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP WHERE THEY REPLACED THE INPUT SPEED SENSOR, THIS WAS COVERED UNDER THE ORIGINAL MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY, NO COST TO ME. THE NEXT INCIDENT OCCURRED IN A SIMILAR FASHION, THE CAR WAS PARKED AT WORK. WHEN I LEFT THE NEXT MORNING I NOTICED THAT THE SPEEDOMETER WAS NOT WORKING (INDICATED "0" EVEN THOUGH THE CAR WAS MOVING). THE SHIFT SELECTOR ON THE DASH WAS IN [2] EVEN THOUGH I HAD THE SHIFTER IN THE AUTO-STICK MODE WHICH SHOULD START OUT IN [1]. I TOOK THE SHIFTER OUT OF AUTOSTICK AND PLACED IT IN AUTO-SHIFT, THE ACCELERATION WAS VERY SLUGGISH, IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS STUCK IN [2]. AS I WAS DRIVING HOME THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. WHILE PARKED IN THE GARAGE I CYCLED THE SHIFTER FROM PARK TO DRIVE, ONCE AGAIN THE TRANSMISSION HESITATED, THEN SHIFTED VERY HARD INTO DRIVE, CAUSING THE CAR TO LURCH FORWARD. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP WHERE THEY REPLACED THE OUTPUT SPEED SENSOR. THE ORIGINAL MANUFACTURES WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED, I BOUGHT AN EXTENDED WARRANTY WHICH COVERED THE REPAIR MINUS MY $100.00 DEDUCTIBLE. I HAVE READ NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS THROUGH YOUR WEBSITE FROM OTHER OWNERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM, IT DOESN'T TAKE A ROCKET SCIENTIST TO REALIZE THAT THEIR IS A REAL "SAFETY" ISSUE HERE. WHEN IS YOUR DEPARTMENT GOING TO INFORM THE MANUFACTURER THAT THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE? MAYBE AFTER SOMEONE IS "KILLED!!"*AK