I've got a few issues with my 2002 Dodge Stratus RT. The first is that there are times when I go to start it, and it just clicks. It will eventually start up after a few tries. It doesn't do it all the time, and I don't think there is any correlation with weather or anything like that. Sometimes it will just start right up, other times it just clicks. All the accessories still work fine, so the battery isn't dead.
The second is what I believe to be a transmission problem. When I'm accelerating, everything is fine. When I drive faster than 30 though, and then slow down, as soon as it hits 25 mph, the car does this weird shudder. Then it's fine again, until I speed up and slow down and hit 25 again. However, if I throw it in neutral while I'm slowing down, there is no shuddering. I took it in to Midas and they wanted to replace the whole transmission solenoid. I said I'd wait because they wanted something like 500 for it. Some fluid is leaking, but I don't think it's transmission fluid, because I've been checking that, and it's still full. If anybody has any thoughts or knows what's wrong, I'd greatly appreciate the help! I know little to nothing about vehicles, so help is much appreciated. Thanks!!

 

These cars are notorious for having bad grounds. There is a short 12" section from the battery to the frame that then goes to the engine and transmission. Start with cleaning or replacing the terminal, but you may want to just cut that short section out and completely replace it, leaving the ground to the transmission and engine intact.

What color is the transmission fluid? It should be red/pink. If its dark, get it flushed. A common problem is also the wave spring, though i dont think it gives any warning signs of failure, it just goes out.

 

Thanks for your thoughts. I'll look into those. As for the fluid, I checked it a couple of days ago and it was still in the pink/red range, and still full up. I read on here about people who had a somewhat similar problem that replaced the solenoid gasket. I bought the piece, but haven't gone through the replacement process yet. Not sure if that's going to help or not though.