Automatic Transmission Torque Converter problems of the 1997 Plymouth Breeze

I noticed a whining noise coming from the front end of my 1997 Plymouth Breeze from a minimum speed of 25 mph and more. The vehicle experienced a noise in the automatic transmission when shifting into reverse and drive. My Breeze only has 40,000 miles on it. I took it to a local transmission shop for further diagnosis and they found that a retaining snap ring had broken loose and caused damage to the transmission (metal contamination, etc. ). The cost to remove and reinstall the transmission, diagnosis, replacing the torque converter, and replacing the clutch discs and fluid will cost me about $2100. Is this a normal thing to happen on a vehicle with only 40,000 miles? is there any other noted complaints or recalls that would help rectify this happening to other consumers? I believe Chrysler should stand behind their products and now they offer a 7 yr/70,000 mile power train warranty, but this doesn't help me as that did not exist back on the 1997 model year. I believe I caught this problem early, but could have caused a lot more damage or even a crash, etc.