Clutch problem just came up

David, it actually does sound like clutch chatter. We tend to engage and disengage the clutch pedal slower in 1st and reverse, which is why we feel it. Gear changes made at speed are quick and the drivetrain more easily absorbs any vibes.

I have to concur with JT on this one. If you drive it really easy for a few hundred miles, you may be able to reverse the problem, as long as your clutch isn't contaminated. Basically, all the same steps that you had to take with the initial break-in period would need to be repeated. I've done this on a relatively new clutch before (about the same mileage as yours) and had good luck with it, so I figured I'd throw it out there.

I don't know of any real problem that can come out of it, but the vibration may cause some issues down the road. The break-in thing worked for me, but that's possibly a case by case thing. If there's any contamination on your clutch that's causing it, no amount of babying it will help unfortunately. Clutch chatter is caused by three things that come to mind. Contamination of the clutch friction surface (grease, oil, etc), heat, and glazing of the clutch itself, which is usually secondary to heat. If taking it easy doesn't solve it, you might be able to salvage the clutch if you can give the flywheel and pressure plate a decent cleanup job with some sandpaper or emery cloth to remove the glazing, but chances are if it's at that point, you'd need a new clutch. If you're replacing it, a new TO bearing is always good measure, even though yours is low mileage. If it was a heat related issue, it may have had heat transfer through the pressure plate fingers and fail prematurely.