In case you haven't yet got your car repaired: I just had a similar problem with my '05 transmission not shifting beyond 2nd gear. My local Chrysler charged me $200 to "diagnose" the problem, telling me the transmission was beyond repair, new transmissions are not available and replacing it with a rebuilt or salvaged transmission was not recommended because "they rarely work". The rep then asked my if I'd like to talk to her about making a trade-in on a new car. After thinking it over for a millisecond I said, "Uhmmmm . . . . no."

I went on line and found that there were lots of new, rebuilt and used transmissions available for $500 to $2000 and labor usually runs about $600 to $800. I sucked in my belly and took my car to a local transmission shop after making a few phone calls and getting good reports on his reliability. He fixed it in 4 days for $442. The problem was not the transmission but the line that carries multiple communication wires from the engine computer to the transmission, telling it how many RPMs the engine is making.

The dealer can bite my shiny metal ***.