2001 MERCEDES BENZ S500 Power Train Problems

WHEN BACKING UP IN REVERSE THE CAR BEGINS TO SMOKE FROM TAIL PIPE. ONCE IN DRIVE IT BEGINS TO SHAKE AND MOVES SLOWLY IN TRAFFIC THEN SLOWLY PICKS UP SPEED AFTER AN UNUSUALLY LONG DURATION. DASHBOARD IS ALMOST TOTALLY BLACKED OUT CANNOT READ GAUGES (GAS LEVEL,SPEED ODOMETER, ENGINE TEMPERATURE, MILEAGE). FINALLY, THE AIR CONDITIONING SUDDENLY STOPPED BLOWING. *TR

WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE ON A TWO LANE DIVIDED HIGHWAY, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT UP-SHIFT GEARS AND GOT STUCK IN THIRD GEAR WHILE I WAS ATTEMPTING TO PASS A TRACTOR TRAILER WITH OTHER VEHICLES BEHIND ME ATTEMPTING TO DO THE SAME. SUBSEQUENTLY, I MANAGED TO MANEUVER THE VEHICLE TO A PARKING LOT TO EXAMINE THE ISSUE. I COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING EXTERNALLY WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE THAT WOULD STAND OUT IN A VISUAL INSPECTION. NEXT, I TURNED THE IGNITION OFF AND TURNED IT BACK ON, FORCEFULLY PUT THE CAR IN GEAR, AND FOUND THAT IT WOULD NOT SHIFT OUT OF FIRST GEAR. VEHICLE HAD TO BE TOWED OVER 150 MILES TO A SHOP. THE PROBLEM STEMS FROM THE DESIGN AND MATERIALS USED FOR THE TRANSMISSION WIRING HARNESS THAT ENABLES TRANSMISSION FLUID TO WICK UP THE WIRING HARNESS FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE VEHICLE UP INTO THE TRANSMISSION CONTROL UNIT THAT...