1996 CHRYSLER CIRRUS Power Trainautomatic Transmission Problems

HTTP://NHTHQNWWS111.ODI.NHTSA.DOT.GOV/ACMS/DOCSERVLET/ARTEMIS/PUBLIC/RECALLS/1998/V/RC-98V183-NN.PDF RECALL HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED AND THEY HAVE ACTUALLY MADE IT WORSE! *TR

THE VEHICLE 'CHANGED GEARS' WHILE DRIVING ALONG A MAJOR HIGHWAY, AS IF IT SLIPPED INTO PARK OR REVERSE. THE TIRES BEGAN TO SPIN UNCONTROLLABLY AND THE RPM AND ENGINE WAS RAISED. MANAGED TO MANEUVER THE VEHICLE OFF THE MAIN ROAD TO AVOID BEING HIT FROM THE REAR BY ONCOMING TRAFFIC. TURNED ENGINE OFF, PUT THE CAR INTO PARK, AND RESTARTED CAR. PUT THE CAR INTO DRIVE BUT THE CAR WOULD NOT SHIFT BEYOUND 2ND GEAR. MECHANIC DOES NOT RECOGNIZE 'CODE' AND STATES THAT THE TRANSMISSION HAS TO BE REBUILT. THANK GOD, I WAS ALONE IN THE CAR (I WAS HEADED TO SCHOOL TO PICK UP MY TEENAGE DAUGHTER), AND COULD MANAGE TO GET IT OFF OF THE MAIN HIGHWAY AND OUT OF HEAVY TRAFFIC TO AVOID A MAJOR ACCIDENT AND POSIBLE FATALITIES.

A WEEK AGO WHILE DRIVING AT 40 CONSUMER FELT LIKE CAR WAS DOWN SHIFTING, RPM'S WOULD REV UP, BUT CONSUMER COULD NOT GO FASTER THAN 40 MPH. ON 14TH OF SEPTEMBER, WHILE ON THE INTERSTATE CAR DOWN SHIFTED. CONSUMER SAID GEARS WOULD NOT SHIFT.*AK

TRANSMISSION FAILED AND HAD TO BE REBUILT AT 42,534 MILES. TRANSMISSION FAILED AGAIN 800 MILES LATER. EVENTHOUGH I HAD REPORTED AN EARLIER PROBLEM ON TRANS (WHILE STILL UNDER WARRANTY), THEY WOULD NOT COVER THIS FAILURE DUE TO THE FACT I WAS 6,000 MILES OVER WARRANTY.

DEALER REPLACED FAILED COMPONETS. THE STARTER TOOK THREE TRIES TO FIX IN 1997. IT WAS INTERMENTENT.

PROBLEM WAS DIAGNOSED AS A FAILURE OF THE TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE (TCM) AND THE SOLENOID PACK. HOWEVER, IT IS APPARENT THAT THE TRANSMISSION ITSELF IS FAULTY, AS IT MAKES A "MOANING" SOUND AT WHAT I PRESUME ARE THE SHIFT POINTS. DEALER DOES NOT RECOGNIZE THIS ISSUE AS A PROBLEM, ALTHOUGH IT IS GETTING PROGRESSIVELY WORSE. ORIGINAL DIAGNOSED PROBLEM, FAILURE OF THE TCM, WOULD CAUSE THE AUTO TO GO INTO "LIMP-IN" MODE. (AUTO DEFAULTS TO SECOND GEAR, WHICH WOULD HAPPEN AT LOW SPEEDS OR WHEN STOPPED.)

NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR THIS VEHICLE. *AK

CAR WOULD SHIFT OUT OF GEAR AT VARIOUS SPEEDS AND AT STOP. THE CAR ALSO JERKS INTO GEAR AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. IT HAS BEEN TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS, EACH TIME THEY CAN'T SEEM TO FIND ANY PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE. THE LAST INSTANCE OF THIS OCCURRING WAS FEBRUARY 5TH 1999. WHILE PULLING INTO MY DEVELOPMENT AT A SPEED OF 35MPH THE CAR JUMPED OUT OF GEAR, AND I WAS UNABLE TO GET THE VEHICLE INTO DRIVE OR REVERSE. I HAD TO PUSH THE VEHICLE TO MY DRIVEWAY. MY CONCERN IS THAT MY FAMILY WAS IN THE VEHICLE WHEN THIS OCCURRED AND WE HAD JUST COME OFF THE HIGHWAY. *AK

DRIVING ABOUT 20MPH, IT WOULD POP OUT OF GEAR; 2ND TIME AT 55MPH POPPED OUT OF GEAR; WOULD NOT DOWNSHIFT TO NEUTRAL;3RD TIME ABOUT 30MPH, POPPED INTO LOW GEAR. 1ST TIME COOLED OFF; 2ND/3RD HAD TOWED TO DEALER & WHO WILL ORDER PARTS AFTER CHECKING VEHICLE. *AK

AFTER STOPPING THE VEHICLE, THE VEHICLE SHIFTS OUT OF GEAR. PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK

AUTO WILL NOT DOWNSHIFT EVEN THOUGH THE MANUAL STATES THAT IT SHOULD DOWN SHIFT. *AK