1999 OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE Power Train Problems

I WAS BACKING OUT OF MY PLACE AT WORSHIP WHEN A FRIEND TOLD ME I HAD NO BACKUP LIGHTS. I WENT STRAIGHT TO THE AUTO SUPPLY STORE. REPLACING THE BULBS DID NOT WORK. THEY TOLD ME IT HAD TO DO WITH THE TRANSMISSION. I WENT ELSEWHERE. SAME STORY. WENT TO THE HE TRANSMISSION STORE. THEY SAID MY TRANSMISSION WAS GOING OUT AND IT WOULD COST ME $1897.00 TO FIX IT. TWO LITTLE BULBS. THAT WAS A YEAR AGO AND I'M STILL DRIVING IT. I TRY TO BACK INTO SPACES SO I DON'T HAVE TO BACK OUT. I WENT TO THE DEALER AND THEY SAID TO REPLACE THE WIRING ASSEMBLY WOULD COST MORE THAN THE CAR IS WORTH. AND THE SEAT BELT CLICKS IN BUT SOMETIMES SLIPS OUT IF I STOP QUICKLY IF SOMEONE CUTS ME OFF. NOT GOOD AT ALL.THE POWER TRAIN IS ERRATIC AT BEST. I WONDER IF I'M GOING TO MAKE IT HOME QUITE A LOT AND I AM DISABLED. IT SHUDDERS WHEN IT STARTS OUT, MAKING IT DANGEROUS IN TIGHT DRIVING SITUATIONS(CHICAGO).IT SLIDES OR SLIPS. I'VE BEEN TOLD TIME AND TIME THERE'S NOTHING WRONG. BUT WHEN YOU TELL A CAR TO GO, IT SHOULD GO...ITS NOT SUPPOSED TO ACT LIKE A STUBBORN DUMB MULE! AND THE DOORS QUIT WORKING AS DID THE AC AND IT EATS TIRES EVEN THOUGH ITS ALIGNED AND BALANCED. I FIXED THE SHOWER WITH 25 YEAR SILICONE. I DIDN'T NEED MY HAIR WASHED WHILE I DROVE. ITS ONLY 15 YEARS OLD AND HAS BEEN TAKEN CARE OF AND ITS A PIECE OF JUNK. A VERY EXPENSIVE PIECE OF JUNK. COOLANT LOW ALWAYS STAYS ON AND IT ISN'T. GAS GAUGE IS ALWAYS EMPTY WHEN YOU FILL IT AND FULL IF ITS EMPTY. I TELL HOW MUCH GAS I HAVE BY HOW MANY MILES I'VE GONE DIVIDED INTO HOW MANY GALS OF GAS I PURCHASED. KEEP THE BOOKS OR WALK!!!!! GARBAGE. CAR!!!!!!!!!

Mileage: 199,000

COULD NOT ENGAGE DRIVE GEAR BUT WOULD ENGAGE IN 1ST AND 2ND GEAR AND REVERSE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO SHIFT INTO DRIVE GEAR AND IT FAILED TO MOVE FROM PARK TO DRIVE. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO PLACE SHIFT CABLE BACK IN PLACE AND SHIFT INTO DRIVE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO STATED THE AUTOMATIC TRANS AXLE RANGE SELECTOR CABLE ASSEMBLY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 154,430.

Mileage: 154,430

HARD SHIFTING ON MULTIPLE OCCURRENCES. SEEMS ASSOCIATED WITH RAPID SPEED CHANGES. AFTER TURNING CAR OFF AND WAITING A FEW SECONDS, THE PROBLEM GOES AWAY.*AK

Mileage: 50,000

THE VEHICLE DID NOT MOVE WHEN THE DRIVER STEPPED ON THE ACCELERATOR, IT SHUTTERED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, WHO INDICATED THAT IT WAS A KNOWN PROBLEM. IT INVOLVED THE PRESSURE CONTROL SOLENOID VALVE ASSEMBLY WHICH NEEDED IMMEDIATE ATTENTION. *AK THERE WERE TWO CLOSE CALLS WHILE TRYING TO ACCELERATE FROM A STOP TO GET INTO A MERGE LANE IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. ANOTHER INCIDENT OCCURRED WHILE GOING UPHILL WHEN ATTEMPTING TO QUICKLY ACCELERATE, THE VEHICLE SHUTTERED AND DRIFTED BACKWARDS INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE THEN SUDDENLY SHOT FORWARD. *SC *JB

Mileage: 83,800

TRANSMISSION TOTALLY FAILED AT ABOUT 45,000 MILES. CAR WAS BEING DRIVEN UP A SMALL HILL AND IT SOUNDED LIKE THE TRANSMISSION FELL OUT. WAS UNABLE TO GO MORE THAN 20 MPH TO DRIVE TO SAFETY. DEALER HAD VEHICLE FOR 1 WEEK. TRANSMISSION WAS TOTALLY OVERHAULED. AT THE TIME, A MECHANIC AT THE DEALER MENTIONED THAT GM WAS AWARE THAT THIS MODEL AND YEAR SILHOUETTE HAD A HISTORY OF THIS TYPE OF PROBLEM. THAT REPAIR WAS OVER $1,000. CAR AGAIN HAD THE PROBLEM AT 75,000 MILES - CONVENIENTLY WHEN THE WARRANTY RAN OUT BUT DESPITE NUMEROUS ATTEMPTS, THE DEALER COULD NOT REPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THE CAR WILL RUN FINE FOR ABOUT 25 MILES AND THEN TRANSMISSION WILL BEGIN TO WHINE AND WILL JERK WHEN SHIFTING UP THROUGH THE GEARS. WHEN THE CAR IS PARKED THE PROBLEM WILL THEN NOT RETURN UNTIL THE CAR IS DRIVEN AGAIN FOR SOME TIME. *JB

Mileage: 45,000

MY 1999 OLDS SILHOUETTE VAN HAS EXPERIENCED A SECOND TRANSMISSION FAILURE. THE FIRST WITH 35K MILES, AND THE SECOND ONE 27K MILES LATER. I HAVE RESEARCHED NUMEROUS OTHER COMPLAINTS WITH THIS SAME TYPE OF GM TRANSMISSION INDICATING TRANSMISSION FAILURES. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE. GM IS TRYING TO PASS IT OFF AS AN UNUSUAL MISFORTUNE ON MY BEHALF. FURTHER INVESTIGATION INTO THESE FAILURES IS NEEDED FOR THE CONSUMER SAFETY AND VEHICLE RELIABILITY. I SHOULD NOT BE HAVING TO PUT A THIRD TRANSMISSION INTO A 4 YEAR OLD VEHICLE. *NLM

Mileage: 63,258

AFTER READING THE OTHER COMPLAINTS ON POWER TRAIN, AUTO TRANSMISSION I NOTICED ALL THE SAME ISSUES. WE TOO EXPERIENCED HEAVY JERKING OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS AT INTERMITTENT TIMES AND REPORTED TO THE DEALER WHO COULD NOT REPEAT THE OCCURRENCE AND TOOK NO ACTION. DREHER HOLLOWAY. AT 48,000 MILES, THE TRANSMISSION FAILED AND THE DEALER CLOSEST TO THE INCIDENT, MERRIMACK STREET GARAGE, RECOMMENDED REPLACEMENT, NOT REPAIR. RENTAL CAR AND REPAIR, ALMOST $4000. GM IS NOT COVERING THE COST OR ADMITTING ANY OWNERSHIP OF THE PROBLEM. DREHER HOLLOWAY IS NO LONGER AN OLDS DEALER. THEY DID A "30,000 MILE GM SERVICE PLUS SERVICE ON THE TRANSMISSION, THAT PROVIDES EXTENDED TROUBLE FREE SERVICE". THAT WAS $400 WASTED. IS THIS ACCEPTABLE PERFORMANCE? *NLM

Mileage: 48,000

I HAVE HAD THIS VEHICLE SINCE 3/99. IN WHICH TIME I HAVE HAD TO BRING IT BACK FOR TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS, ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS, LEAKING FUEL INJECTORS, BRAKES, NON WORKING CRUISE CONTROL WHICH LED TO THE DEALER REPLACING THE COMPRESSOR. FRONT END LEAKED ANTI FREEZE WHICH LED TO ANOTHER MAJOR JOB. I AM NOT A HAPPY MOTORIST HERE. THE STEERING COLUMN SQUEEKED. THEY GREASED IT. TURNED OUT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE RACKINPINION. I KNOW SOMETHING ABOUT CARS AND I KNOW THAT FOR THE AMOUNT I PAY FOR THIS VEHICLE, I SHOULDN'T BE HAVING THESE MAJOR PROBLEMS. BANDADE FIXES DON'T CUT IT WITH ME. NLM

AUTOMATIC TRANMISSION WOULD EXPERIENCE A SHIFTING PROBLEM IN THE FIRST TWO LOW GEARS, CAUSING VEHICLE TO JERK AND A NOISE WOULD APPEAR INTERMITTENTLY. DEALER WAS NOTIFIED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, AND THEY WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE PROBLEM. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS ON THIS MATTER. *AK

AFTER A FEW HOURS OF HIGHWAY DRIVING, I PULLED INTO MY DRIVEWAY AND WENT INTO THE HOUSE FOR ABOUT AN HOUR. I CAME OUT LATER AND DROVE TO THE STORE, AND AS I WAS PULLING AWAY FROM A TRAFFIC SIGNAL, THE SHIFTING OF GEARS (AUTO-TRANS) WAS VERY FORCEFUL, BUCKING THE VAN, LIKE IT WAS HAVING TROUBLE SHIFTING. THE FIRST DEALERSHIP (PAUL BROTHERS) TRIED TO EXPLAIN THAT THE FLUID LEVEL WAS LOW BY 1 QUART, SO THEY FILLED IT. THE PROBLEM CONTINUED OFF AND ON UNTIL I FINALLY TOOK IT INTO A DIFFERENT DEALERSHIP (KOONS - MANASSAS), AND THEY FOUND THAT THE PROBLEM WAS A BAD PRESSURE CONTROL SELENOID, WHICH THEY REPLACED. MY CONCERN IS THAT NOT ONLY MAY I HAVE LESSENED THE LIFE EXPECTANCY OF THE VEHICLE DUE TO THE MISDIAGNOSIS, I ALSO AM CONCERNED ABOUT A POSSIBLE PROBLEM ON OTHER SILHOUETTES IN THE 15K-20K RANGE OF THIS HAPPENING TO THEM AS WELL. POSSIBLE RECALL ISSUE FOR SAFETY REASONS.*AK

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTIONS, CAUSING A KNOCKING NOISE EVERYTIME THE OCCUPANT CHANGES GEARS AND MAY CAUSE LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK

WENT UP AN INCLINE AND STOPPED, IN THE TIME IT TAKES TO MOVE FOOT FROM BRAKE TO GAS PEDAL, AT THE TOP OF A HILL, THE VEHICLE BEGINS TO ROLL BACKWARDS WHEN IN DRIVE GEAR. THE VEHICLE STALLED WHILE IN DRIVE ROLLING BACKWARDS DOWN THE HILL. *MJS

TRANSMISSION DESIGN DOES NOT PREVENT VEHICLE FROM ROLLING BACKWARD WHILE IN DRIVE GEAR, RESULTING IN VEHICLE STALLING. MJS

AUTOMATIC SLIDING DOOR CLOSED ON ITS OWN. ALSO, AUTOMATIC REVERSE MECHANISM DID NOT WORK. OWNER WAS PINNED IN DOOR AND INJURED WHEN PUTTING CHILD IN SAFETY SEAT. THE VAN IS BEING LOOKED OVER BY DEALERSHIP. *AK

VEHICLE WILL ROLL BACKWARDS WITHOUT STOPPING WHEN IN DRIVE ON A UPWARD INCLINE. THE TOURQUE CONVERTER DOES NOT STOP THE CAR FROM ROLLING BACK. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS IN TRAFFIC. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THIS IS NORMAL AND CANNOT BE REPAIRED. I DO NOT AGREE WITH THIS. A VAN SHOULD NOT ROLL BACK 20 FEET WHILE TRANSMISSION IS IN DRIVE. *AK