Chrysler Repair: 2000 Chrysler Sebring transmission: wont shift, 4 digit numbers, chrysler sebring

Question
Roland,
My 2000 Chrysler Sebring JXI very abruptly began to cease shifting into higher gears. It will work OK when the car is cool, but after about fifteen minutes it will not shift properly. Any suggestions? Thanks.
Paul

Answer
Hi Paul,
When the trans refuses to shift it is higher gears it has been put into 'limp-in mode' by the trans controller because it has detected a problem which if not corrected may cause damage to the unit. It then will only operate in 2nd gear which uses the fewest parts so that the unit can be serviced without no further damage.
The best thing to do would be to get a readout of any fault codes that may be stored in the trans control computer memory. Those will give us a list of possible causes/things to check/change. Turn the ignition key:'on-off-on-off-on and leave on' doing that in 5 seconds or less elapsed time. Then watch the odometer window to see if the milage changes to instead show 4-digit numbers prefaced by a P. If so, let me know what they are and we'll go from there. If not, then get a free readout at an Autozone parts store or for about $40 at an independent garage. The specific numbers are what we need to have.
Roland