Shifting into reverse at 60 mph damages van

Q I accidentally shifted my 1999 Plymouth Grand Voyager (SE six-cylinder) into neutral while the car was in motion at 60 mph. I put it back into gear and heard a loud noise, and the car bucked like I had rolled over something. I know, not good. I pulled over because the car had shut off. I started it again and stepped on the accelerator. The engine just revved. I got out and saw transmission fluid leaking onto the ground. What the heck happened? Tell me I don't have to get a second mortgage to fix it! Thanks in advance, and cheers!

TOM: Why don't you go grab the home-equity-loan application, and then come back and read the rest of our answer?

RAY: I'll tell you exactly what happened. When you "accidentally" shifted the transmission into neutral while you were traveling at 60 mph, you also "accidentally" overshot neutral and shifted it into reverse.

TOM: That's what happened. That explains the loud noise, the bucking sensation and the subsequent and immediate lack of a functioning transmission.

RAY: When you shifted into reverse at a high speed, you probably blew apart the spider gears in the differential and blew a hole in the differential casing, which is part of the transmission housing. That's why transmission fluid was pouring out under the car.

TOM: So you're looking at spending somewhere north of $2,000 on a rebuilt transmission if you ever want this car to move under its own power again. This is one powerful reason not to shift the car into neutral while your car is moving, unless it's an emergency, such as your throttle is stuck.

RAY: Right. We've heard from a lot of people who think they're improving their mileage by "coasting" in neutral occasionally. But the few cents they save on gasoline will pale in comparison with a new transmission if they accidentally push the shifter a smidge too far.

TOM: Actually, not all cars will suffer the same fate as yours. With all of the electronically controlled automatic transmissions these days, there are a lot that simply won't allow the transmission to shift into reverse when it's not safe to do so, such as when you're going forward at 60 mph.

RAY: Unfortunately, we now know that the '99 Voyager wasn't one of those. But the truth is, we don't know exactly which transmissions will protect themselves and which won't. We can't really experiment on the brand-new test cars we drive, can we?

TOM: So if any of you readers have "accidentally" experimented on your own car, let us know what happened (at www.cartalk.com). And next time my brother lends me his car, I'll tell you what happens when you put a '97 Honda Odyssey in reverse while going 60.

Q. My wife wants to buy a Honda Fit, but now she is worried about the gas tank. It is located under the front seat rather than under the trunk. Is this dangerous?

RAY: You're not trying to knock her off, are you? If we tell you it's dangerous, you're not going to buy her the car, then take out a large life-insurance policy on her, are you?

TOM: It's not dangerous, as far as we can tell. We don't know definitively, because the Fit has been out for only a few years, and it's possible that a problem could come to light later. But from what we can tell, it's not an issue.

RAY: Most cars have their gas tank right behind the back seat, conveniently enough where the mother-in-law usually rides. You'll notice no one's ever written to us to complain about that!

TOM: Honda moved the gas tank in the Fit under the driver's seat to create more room in the back to fold the seats flat. And it is a very nice, functional design from the point of view of usable interior space.

RAY: When we looked underneath a Fit, we noticed that the tank doesn't extend right to the outside edge of the vehicle. It's at least somewhat protected behind a side structural member.

TOM: Here's what we do know. When the Fit was crash-tested, it got top ratings for both frontal crashes and driver's-side impacts. That's a good sign right there. In addition, if the crash-testing agencies (the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration or the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) had seen anything that worried them during a crash test (for example, a gas tank that explodes and burns any surviving crash-test dummies beyond all recognition), they would have mentioned it in the optional "safety concerns" section of the results. There are no such comments about the Fit.

RAY: These days, gas tanks are made of plastic, and they're pretty hard to puncture. They're actually very resilient, in our experience.

TOM: If something entered the driver's side of the car with enough force to wipe out the gas tank, it probably would wipe out the entire front seat, too, if you catch my drift. So either way, your wife won't have to worry about it.

RAY: I'm sure my brother's making you feel a lot better, huh?

TOM: Actually, while we can't say for certain, we have no evidence that suggests it's a problem. If it gives you any additional confidence, the placement of the gas tank doesn't stop us from recommending the Fit, which we think is an excellent little car.

Got a question about cars? Write to Click and Clack in care of this newspaper, or e-mail them by visiting the Car Talk Web site at www.cartalk.com.