auto sticking in gears

[Andrew Resto]

I'll admit, I'm not as mechanically smart as I wish. My question regards my
car's auto tranny sticking in first gear. It happens every so often and the
only way I can really make it change gears is to either stop, take it out of
gear and then back in, or just accelerate until it's forced into the next
gear at the redline. I don't like doing this and I know its not good for the
transmission.

I want to have some sort of idea of what the cause may be before taking it
to a mechanic. A friend of mine has the same problem with his Taurus SHO
(however he admits to punishing that thing). I strapped for cash so I'd like
some ideas before I splurge on ol' bessie (or rather ol' hilda).

Thanks!

Andrew R