Chrysler Repair: transmission, chrysler transmissions, turque converter

Question
I have a 99' Sebring 6 cylinder. Never had a problem till now.  Automatic transmission is stuck in 1st gear, and wont shift. Took it to a friend to have diognostic all it said gear 1 ratio incorrect. How to fix it? What could it be, this happened during regurar driving car is never abused.

Answer
Hi Maestas,
The diagnostic is saying that the wheels are not turning as fast as they should be based upon the torque converter spin rate when you are in first gear. This could be due to an error in the sensors that measure the turque converter or the one that measures the output spin rate OR it could mean that the clutch for the 1st gear is slipping which can also be test with the diagnotic readout box. The sensors can be tested without removing the transmission , and if those were found to be o.k then the next step would be to have the 3 pans on the bottom of the trans removed to drain the fluid and to observe whether there was significant amounts of debris in the pans which would suggest the clutch has worn out. If there was not a lot of debris, then the valve body could be removed and cleaned, and the filter changed to see if that corrects the problem. If it didn't, then unfortunately that would indicate a need to rebuild the faulty clutch and anyother worn parts, but that is a very expensive repair. So I would take it one step at a time before authorizing a rebuild, unless you have a good deal of confidence in the competcency and honesty of the transmission shop. Make sure you use a shop that has a lot of experience with the Chrysler transmissions because they are very complicated. Compare the cost and reputation of a dealership with that of an independent shop, then decide which seems better.
Roland