Dear Scotty, I few months back I bought my new driver daughter (age 17) a Buick Lesabre with 80 thousand miles on it. It has been running fine for a few months, but now its sputtering in reverse...it is also slipping a bit (barely) when you drive forward from a stop. Any thoughts?
By sputtering in reverse do you mean the engine starts running rough, or does it feel like the transmission is jerking?
It sounds like the transmission may be going out on you. What is the condition of the fluid? Is it burned and gritty?
Have you checked for any diagnostic codes? A dealer-level scan tool would be needed for transmission-related codes.
The engine runs fine, but is rough when you start backing up. I don't notice any transmission jerking......its like it is dying, then works fine. We've only noticed it in reverse. I'll check the fluid too.
When was the transmission fluid and filter last changed?
I'll ask my mechanic to check it out. The "sputtering" is intermittent.' Thanks for the advice.
It's has less about 80,000 miles on it and has been a great car. I bought it because they are known to las a long time.