I just stumbled across the problems you had with your Astro. It kind of sounds similar with the problem that I am currently having with my 2003 Astro. When I'm sitting in traffic on an incline and when traffic starts to move, the truck will jerk when I accelerate going up the hill. At first I thought the transmission was slipping, but since it has gotten worse, I can feel the difference between the jerking and shifting. I had it to the dealer twice and they said it wasn't the transmission, but can't figure out what the problem is. Does this sound similar to what you have experienced?