1996 BUICK LESABRE Power Trainautomatic Transmission Problems

I WAS DRIVING BACK HOME FROM A FRIENDS HOUSE AND HAD THE CAR PARKED IN MY DRIVE WAY AND IT WAS LEFT RUNNING AND IT WAS IN PARK THEN I WENT OUT TO LEAVE AND THE CAR WAS RUNNING FOR ABOUT 3 MIN SITTING THERE AND I PUT IT INTO REVERSE AND IT WOULD NOT MOVE NO MATTER WHAT SO I TRIED ALL THE GEARS IT WOULDN'T WORK SO I SHUT OFF THE CAR LET IT SIT FOR ABOUT 5 MIN AND STARTED IT UP THEN PUT IT INTO REVERSE AGAIN AND IT DID THEN I DROVE ABOUT 50-100 FT AND IT FELT LIKE IT WAS SLIPPING AND THEN JUST THE OTHER DAY I WENT OUT TO START IT AND IT WAS STILL IN PARK AND IT SOUNDS LIKE A POWERSTEERING PUMP WITH NO FLUID AND IT SOUNDS LIKE A BIG NEST OF BEES AND I CHECKED THE FLUID LEVEL...

DRIVING ON HIGHWAY @ 60 MPH, HEARD POPPING NOISE AND FELT THUMP UNDER CAR. AS ACCELERATED AGAIN, ENGINE REVS INCREASED W/O ANY INCREASE IN SPEED. ENGINE DID NOT SEEM TO BE ENGAGED WITH TRANSMISSION. MANUALLY DOWN SHIFTED TO 3RD GEAR. ENGINE REENGAGED WITH DRIVE TRAIN. SHIFTED BACK TO 4TH (D), LOSS OF ENGAGEMENT. TOOK CAR TO DEALER, INFORMED THAT "PLANETARY GEAR" HAD FAILED, AND REPLACED TRANSMISSION UNDER WARRANTY.

I HAD A PREVIOUS TRANSMISSION FAILURE ON THIS CAR IN 1996, AFTER ABOUT 12,000 MILES. TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. CURRENT FAILURE OCCURED AS I WAS STARTING TO GO UP A STEEP GRADE. CAR SHUDDERED, AND ENGINE REVED WITHOUT ANY INCREASE IN SPEED. THERE WAS LOSS OF DRIVE CONNECTION BETWEEN ENGINE AND WHEELS. I DOWNSHIFTED TO LOWER GEAR MANUALLY, AND MANAGED TO KEEP CAR MOVING FORWARD. AFTER REACHING TOP OF GRADE, I RESUMED DRIVING IN HIGH GEAR. AS I WOULD START ON SLIGHT UPGRADES, OR TRY TO ACCELERATE SPEED, ENGINE WOULD REV TEMPORARILY WITHOUT ACCELERATION OF CAR. AFTER STOPPING ON SIDE OF ROAD TO CHECK TRANSMISSION FLUID, I RESUMED TRANVEL. PROBLEM SEEMED TO RESOLVE ITSELF, ALTHOUGH THERE WAS SOME "HUNTING" OF THE TRANSMISSION AS IT UPSHIFTED GEARS. WHEN I RETURNED TO HOME AREA, I TOOK CAR INTO DEALERSHIP TO HAVE PROBLEM DIAGNOSED. I HAVE BEEN INFORMED THAT TRANSMISSION HAS FAILED,...

WHEN TAKING IT OUT OF ANY GEAR ,ALL 3 DOORS WILL UNLOCK EXCEPT FOR FRONT PASSENGER DOOR. ,IT MUST BE MANUALLY UNLOCKED BEFORE PASSENGER CAN GET OUT. *AK

TRANSMISSION FAILED.