There are 4 stored owner reports matching the powertrain & transmission leading-label group for the 2002 Oldsmobile Silhouette in our NHTSA-sourced dataset. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
This group counts stored reports whose component label starts with one of this site's matching prefixes, ignoring case. Each matching report counts once within the group. Components mentioned later in the label or only in the narrative are not searched. How component counts work
Loaded 4 of 4 matching reports.
Open the full vehicle complaint log (all categories)CONSUMER STATES THAT WHILE DRIVING TRANSMISSION WILL SHIFT GEARS ERRATICALLY W/O WARNING. DLR HAS REPLACED VEHICLE'S VALVE BODY AND KICK DOWN CABLE, BUT PROBLEM IS STILL OCCURING. MR
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION; VEHICLE DRIFTS BACKWARDS DOWN A HILL IN WHEN IN DRIVE. *AK
MY AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION; SILHOUETTE DRIFTS BACKWARDS DOWN A HILL IN WHEN IN DRIVE. 1. TAKE THE CAR TO A MEDIUM TO STEEP HILL (PREFERABLY STEEP SO YOU SEE THE FULL EFFECT). 2. COMPLETELY STOP THE CAR. 3. TAKE YOUR FOOT OFF THE BRAKE BUT DO NOT TOUCH THE ACCELERATOR. NOTICE THAT THE CAR DRIFTS BACKWARDS AND IF YOU ARE ON A SLIGHT HILL IT WILL STOP AFTER ABOUT A FOOT. IF YOU ARE ON A STEEP HILL IT WILL DRIFT ALL THE WAY DOWN THE HILL PICKING UP SPEED AS IT GOES. THIS IS VERY MUCH A SAFETY PROBLEM AND IF IT IS ACCEPTABLE BEHAVIOR THEN I BELIEVE OLDSMOBILE WILL BE IN FOR LAW SUITES. I BOUGHT THIS VAN BECAUSE I HAVE KIDS. THE SCHOOL I PICK MY CHILDREN UP HAS A STEEP HILL AND I CAN'T BE WORRIED EVERY DAY THAT I MAY DRIFT BACKWARDS INTO SOME PARENT AND CHILD WALKING BEHIND MY CAR BECAUSE OF THIS FLAW. THEY PARK OUR CARS CLOSE TO EACH OTHER DURING PICK UP TIME TO GET AS MANY CARS INTO THE LOT. I'M FINDING MYSELF TWO FOOTING OR KEEPING MY FOOT ON THE ACCELERATOR TO KEEP FROM DRIFTING BACKWARD INTO THE CAR BEHIND ME AND THIS IS RIDICULOUS!!! I REFUSE TO CONTINUE DOING THAT. THIS WAS REPORTED TO THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER, WHO SAID THAT IT IS WORKING AS DESIGNED, AND WE WILL NEED TO PUT UP WITH IT, EVEN IF IT MEANS USING ONE FOOT ON THE BRAKE AND ONE ON THE GAS!!! GM CUSTOMER SUPPORT SAID THIS WAS A "SAFETY FEATURE" OF THE VAN!!!! SO THAT IT WOULD NOT GO FORWARD WHEN YOUR FOOT WAS REMOVED FROM THE BRAKE!!! I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE ONE OF THEM STAND BEHIND MY VAN WHEN I'M SITTING ON A HILL, AND THEN LET THEM TELL ME HOW MUCH OF "SAFETY FEATURE" IT IS!!!*AK
TRANSMISSION DOES NOT HOLD THE VAN WHILE IN DRIVE, EVEN ON A SLIGHT INCLINE. CAR WILL DRIFT BACKWARDS CAUSING A SAFTY ISSUE. IT'S LIKE DRIVING A MANUAL TRANSMISSION. IF YOU ARE SITTING AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT, FOOT ON THE BRAKE, AS SOON AS YOU REMOVE YOUR FOOT FROM THE BRAKE, THE VAN DRIFTS BACKWARDS. IF A CAR HAPPENS TO BE BEHIND YOU, OR EVEN WORST IF SOMEONE IS WALKING BEHIND YOU, THEY COULD BE POTENTIALLY HIT OR RUN OVER. DEALERS RECOMMENDATION OF USING ONE FOOT ON THE BRAKE AND THE OTHER ON THE GAS IS UNACCEPTABLE. THEY SAY THAT THIS VAN DOES NOT HAVE A HILL HOLDING FEATURE IN THE TRANSMISSION, AND IT IS SOMETHING THAT WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO LIVE WITH. *AK
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
NHTSA source checks for this vehicle year
Checks are recorded separately for each dataset, not for the whole page. Dates use UTC. A missing check date does not mean no records exist.
Vehicle import recorded: Sep 7, 2026. This is the stored import date, not confirmation that every source was successfully refreshed.