I have 08 Punto Grande in candy apple red with a panoramic sunroof , very pretty but the the dualogic transmission can be very temperamental and actually down right dangerous. First issue is sometimes when I start it will not go from neutral to 1st. An alarm rings and a message telling me to check the transmission is displayed. Luckily all I have to is turn the car off and and on again it goes into 1st with out any issue. The other problem is potentially very dangerous. Driving along in semi auto, maybe 4th or 5th, revs at a normal level, the transmission just jumps into neutral and the alarm starts ringing. Even if I move the lever into the neutral position it keeps ringing. I have to pull over. Turn the car off and on and then put it into first to continue. So far it has happened on roads where it has been safe to stop but if it happened on a busy freeway or in a tunnel it could be very dangerous. Does anyone have any idea what the problem could be or if the two issues are linked.

Yes it's most likely the s-cam solonoid on the back of the actuator. Not a bad job to do, cost wise around £300