Is this a sign of a bad transmission?

[elsworthjulie]

I own a 2002 Jeep Liberty. I know Jeeps make funny noises and are already noisy because its a Jeep. I have an automatic. When I shift into reverse or drive, it makes a little bang sound, but it's been doing that a long time and I figured maybe thats just how the car is.

My boyfriend mentioned to me that he heard funny sounds when the car accelerates and/or goes into gear. He said he's heard it for a while but never told me because he knows I will start to panic. He said it possibly sounds like it could be a transmission issue starting.

So when the car is stopped at a light, I accelerate to go, and then as soon as I take my foot off the gas pedal the car jerks forward and makes a banging/click noise. I'm guessing because when you accelerate there is alot of power being used, so when I take my foot off the gas it makes that noise. Also after I accelerate and take my foot off the gas, it jerks forward a bit, and then slightly jerks forward again a second time on its own without my feet on any pedals. This only happens sometimes, not always.

My boyfriend is a mechanic and does my oil changes every 3,000 and always checks the trans fluid and everything. So my car always has it's up to date maintenance.

I also have a tendancy to run alot of local errands and I am always starting and turning off the car alot with each stop I make. I also don't do much highway driving. I do alot of local town driving.

Could any of these things be a sign of the transmission slowly going bad? Or could it be something else? Or nothing at all?

Thank you so much!