Transmission Gear Slipping problems of the 2001 Honda Passport

When accelerating from a dead stop, the transmission fails to slip into first gear sometimes. The car will jerk a little as the transmission attempts to go into first gear, and the "check transmission" light and "check engine" light will come on. At this moment, the transmission is in a failed state, and you have to stop the car completely, wait a while for the transmission to recover (about 5-10 seconds) before you can try to accelerate again. This poses a serious danger, especially when entering intersections. I've had a situation where I was trying to make a right turn and merge onto a busy street, only to have the SUV jerk me forward a few feet, and have the transmission fail. I had to come to a full stop, let the car recover before accelerating away. Luckily, there wasn't a car approaching, or else, I would've been left helpless (unable to accelerate), and would've gotten hit. This problem has occurred a few times now, and luckily for me, it hasn't resulted in any accidents as of yet. I reported this to the dealer, but they said that there is nothing they can do unless they can reproduce the problem while they have the SUV.