Questions and Answers

A Borrowed Jeep Grand Cherokee Q. Vince, I drive a 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee with a V-8 engine, automatic transmission and AWD. My roommates borrowed it a few weeks ago to take a trip from Denver to Tucson. I checked my fluids before they left and told them that I needed new power steering fluid and new transmission fluid before they left. They promised to put the new fluids in before they left town.

They bring my car back four days later and when I first drive it, it stalls out on me and it has issues shifting at around 30 mph. It also smells smoky. So I open the hood, and the cap to my transmission fluid is gone and there is no fluid in the tank. So my roommate took my car to the Jeep Dealer and he gets a new cap and replaces the fluid and the people at the shop tell him to wait a few days and if that doesn't fix the problem to bring it back in.

At this point my roommates say that they'll pay to fix the problem if it is their fault, and I have to pay if it is a long-term problem. So five days later I take my car back in because it has not gotten any better and they guy at the shop ran a diagnostic and says my water pump is broken and my case is cracked and something else is the matter.

They also say that I need new CV cases and new brakes. So this takes the cost of my car up to around $3,000, as they say they'll have to completely rebuild the transmission. I told my roommates what was wrong with my car, and the brakes are just because it's an old car, and the CV cases are also due to age, but I just had a tune up and put $2,000.00 into my car in late August, less than a month before they took the car to Arizona.

They did mention that I would need new brakes in the near future, but other than that they said that my car was in great condition after all of the tune-ups I had done. They never once mentioned my transmission, nor did I have any problems before the car went to Arizona.

Now my roommates believe that transmission damage can only be done over long periods of time, and 3,000 miles without transmission fluid apparently is not a long time, thus they say that they have no fault in ruining my transmission.

My question is, is it possible that driving 3,000 miles without transmission fluid could damage the transmission, or is it more likely that the damage to the transmission is due to age?

Thanks for your help,
Em

A. I have to admit I am somewhat confused here. When you say "the cap to my transmission fluid is gone and there is no fluid in the tank" that makes me think you are referring to the power steering fluid. If this is, indeed, what you mean, then filling the power steering tank will probably be all it needs.

Now if the transmission fluid was low when they started the trip, and assuming it didn't get any lower 3,000 mile trip would do in the transmission. If the fluid level continued to go down, it would get to the point where the transmission wouldn't shift any longer until it is refilled with transmission fluid.

The water pump can go at any time so if it is "broken" I can't really hold the borrowers responsible. The same would go for the CV cases (boots?).

But I do feel that if they failed to top the transmission fluid before leaving on the trip and in that failing to check it along the way, they should be held responsible for the transmission damage. It takes far less than 3,000 miles to damage a transmission in this manner.