Ford Repair: overdrive off light blinks on and off., preventative measures, ford probe

Question
Hello. In my 95 ford probe se 2 door hatchback, the car jerks when i drive it and the overdrive off light comes on. What might this be? Thanks for your help. John

Answer
Your car has an electronically-controlled transmission that can "sense" problems and take preventative measures to keep the transmission from burning up or leaving you stranded.  When a problem is sensed, it will store a trouble code in the vehicle's computer and turn on the overdrive light to get your attention.  The jerking is most likely a side-effect of the transmission problem.  You'll need to have a shop use their code scan tool to see what codes are stored, that will help us figure out how bad the problem is.  Also check the transmission fluid to make sure it's full (but not over-full) and clean.  If it's dark and smells bad, we may have a failing transmission.  Hope this helps,
Jason