My 1999 Plymouth Neon with 45000 miles has lost the ability to accelerate. The gas pedal is now hard to push. It moves freely for the first inch or so, but offers a lot of resistance for the remainder. If I force the pedal, it will go however the car will then stick in a lower gear (usually second) until I pull over some where and shut the engine off, and restart. The car will generally drive fine, however under the lower acceleration it takes a while to get up to speed. Also on deceleration the car will noticably downshift. If I decelerate to fast the car will be stuck in the higher gear. Upon re-acceleration it will slam into the lower gear and begin accelerating normally. Any ideas? Can I please have suggestions? I have taken this to the dealer and they have been no help. I have also flushed and refilled the Trans fluid.
Please Help