QuestionDear Sir,
I feel I have no where left to turn. I purchased a 1993 Plymouth Grand Voyager from the original owner in 2002. It had 130k miles. I drove it for almost six months before I had to park it (for two years). One day the automatic transmission got stuck in 2nd and stayed there. My mechanic said the transmission was bad, so I saved for two years to buy a new one. I purchased it and the mechanic installed it about a week ago. I drove home and it changed gears fine. I got up for work yesterday and drove about a mile and BAM! stuck in 2nd again. I don't know what else to do. It took me a long time to save enough to cover the trans and the mechanics bill. I did contact him and he said it wasn't the new transmission but rather something else. I make under $15k a year, so you know how hard it was to buy a new trans and have it installed. I guess I'll have to go back to my 1986 Buick, at least it's reliable. Any advise would be appreciated. Joe
AnswerHi Joseph,
I am sorry to learn of your trouble with the transmission, but there is hope. First, if this is indeed a new transmission or was sold to you with a warranty of any sort (unless you bought it with the understanding that it had no warranty, specifically in writing) then I believe that either the mechanic or the vendor of the rebuilt or new transmission has to stand behind the implied warranty for the service that was provided. If your mechanic or the company that provided the transmission will not stand behind their product/service then I believe you can get redress in two ways: small claims court and a state consumer protection agency located at your state capital.
The "stuck in 2nd" behavior is actually a fall back position that the transmission controller chooses whenever it detects something is wrong in the transmission in order to minimize futher damage until it can be serviced, it is called "limp-in mode". Let me copy here a response that I sent to another Plymouth Voyager owner recently:
"It sounds like your electronically controlled transaxle has detected some problem with the unit and in order to avoid any unnecessary damage has gone into "limp-in" mode which means it won't shift out of 2nd gear. It allows the car to be driven at moderate speed to a garage for analysis. The controller logs the problem as a two digit number stored in its memory. The dealer or a competent transmission shop should have a readout unit to find out what the code number is and from that they can make some conclusions about whether the trans can be repaired without being removed from the car (for example a hydrualic pressure problem) OR if some mechanical damage is involved (follow that up by dropping the pans and looking for debris to be present or not) which if true would require a pretty expensive rebuild, I am sorry to say.
So that is my best advice, go to a dealer and ask for a diagnostic readout and estimate for repairs. Get the code number(s) and if you like, write back with a follow-up question to me and we compare what you are told with what the shop manual says is the problem and decide if you are getting the correct advice. You don't have to give them a blank check, just ask for a diagnostic readout and estimate. It will cost something to get that done, but the more information you have before going forward the better."
So I would not accept the mechanic telling you it isn't the transmission. I would ask him if he has a Diagnostic Readout Device and will he readout the fault codes for the transmission (not the readout for engine fault codes which is a separate plug from the transmission plug). If he can't then go to a Chrysler/Dodge dealer and see how much a readout will cost, and if that seems unreasonable try calling an independent transmission repair shop and ask for their price. Then let me know what the code is, and also let me know what your understanding as to the warranty is.
I can't believe that someone involved in taking your money for this repair is not on the hook for correcting it. In fact, the original diagnosis that you had to replace the transmission may have been flawed. While, as I said in the quote, it could be there was serious mechanical breakdown that would require rebuilding the trans, it is also possible that there is something less severe wrong which won't require rebuild. The code will give us an idea about that. It could be an electrical fault in the transmission controller (which may still be the original one, but see exactly which parts were replaced and ideally why they were replaced). Maybe, for example, the controller was faulty and NOT the transmission, and so the mechanic could have replaced the wrong item! See what code number(s) come from the readout. Get whoever does the readout to write down the fault code numbers and to write down what they recommend needs to be done to get the trans running right, and what they estimate the cost to be. All this may be needed in Court or with the state's consumer protection agency.
Hang in there, Joseph, all is not lost!
Roland
