So yesterday our 09 grand caravan started acting up in a very dangerous way. I was driving it alone thank god. Out of nowhere the trans put itself into "autostick" or manual mode, and downshifted itself into 1st at around 40mph. It was a huge shock, and the van lunged forward hitting the rev limiter. Man Im glad the wife and kids were not in it, or it wasnt slippery out. It would have caused a spin no doubt.
Anyway, I tried to get it out of manual shift mode back to D, and it wouldnt go. I pulled off immediately and tried to turn off and back on. That fixed it for a second, but the minute I started driving, it jumped back into manual mode all by itself and downshifted to 1. So I pulled off again, turned it off and left it off for 2 minutes. Then it was normal. On the other side I tried to put it into manual mode just for grins to see if it was ok, and it would not go at all.
Did it again today too. same shit. Currently this is our only kid carrier car, and my wife needs it 3 times a week to drop off kids to school.
On a side note, and maybe related, we have had a driver airbag light on intermittenly for about 2 weeks. Everything I read says its a bad steering wheel clock spring, and I have one on order. But now Im reading that this manual shifter thing is somehow hooked up to the clock spring for some reason, so maybe this is collateral damage from the bad clock spring, or maybe the shifter mechanism is bad? These parts are not super cheap, and neither is dealer diagnosing time so I was hoping someone has heard of this and can point me in the right direction. I'd trade out of this thing quick too, but I cant in all good conscience have some other family buy it and have a bad accident because it was never fixed or disclosed.
Any help would be appreciated.
Anyway, I tried to get it out of manual shift mode back to D, and it wouldnt go. I pulled off immediately and tried to turn off and back on. That fixed it for a second, but the minute I started driving, it jumped back into manual mode all by itself and downshifted to 1. So I pulled off again, turned it off and left it off for 2 minutes. Then it was normal. On the other side I tried to put it into manual mode just for grins to see if it was ok, and it would not go at all.
Did it again today too. same shit. Currently this is our only kid carrier car, and my wife needs it 3 times a week to drop off kids to school.
On a side note, and maybe related, we have had a driver airbag light on intermittenly for about 2 weeks. Everything I read says its a bad steering wheel clock spring, and I have one on order. But now Im reading that this manual shifter thing is somehow hooked up to the clock spring for some reason, so maybe this is collateral damage from the bad clock spring, or maybe the shifter mechanism is bad? These parts are not super cheap, and neither is dealer diagnosing time so I was hoping someone has heard of this and can point me in the right direction. I'd trade out of this thing quick too, but I cant in all good conscience have some other family buy it and have a bad accident because it was never fixed or disclosed.
Any help would be appreciated.
