2006 Chrysler Town and Country Check engine light & shi

Just picked up this Town & Country used, still have warranty but before I take it in I wanted to dig into some possibilities myself. Only had the minivan 2 weeks, 1st the cluster lights stopped working; the lights behind the speedometer and gas as well as the lights behind the heating/cooling control knobs. This is often referred to as the "instrument cluster lights". 2nd two later the check engine light comes on, NOT flashing but the van ran fine for the rest of the day. 3rd, the very next day at about 40 miles into my drive the van started knocking or like skipping forward kind of deal (hard to explain) but it was like if you gave it gas you could hear the engine rev up but it wouldn't move and then all the sudded it would kick into gear, almost like the trans was slipping. At times you could hear a really high pitched gear sound coming from under the drivers seat area. The van would continue to buck and carry on and if you stopped the van, turned it off and restarted. It would drive fine for a few miles and then start all over again. The check engine light is still on and I plan on taking into the dealer but I wanted a heads up on what could possibly be wrong. I only have a 30-day warranty because it was purchased used, this is starting to scare me a little and I feel like I made a wrong choice. Any suggestions? Thanks