Your wife can certainly make a claim with your auto insurer under the comprehensive portion of the policy to see if the damage from the snow to the transmission will be covered.

Comprehensive coverage typically covers your vehicle for losses resulting from incidents other than collision. For example, comprehensive insurance covers damage to your car if it is stolen; or damaged by flood. Your insurance may consider the snow and the melting water that resulted from the massive amount of snowfall a form of a flood and thus cover damages resulting from this.

If you place a claim the insurance company would investigate and need to find out from their adjuster and/or a mechanic that the transmission damage was a result of the snow and not just a mechanical failure due to wear and tear.

If the insurance company agrees to take the claim and the cost of the repairs is as much as you believe it to be and comes near or exceeds the value of the vehicle it may be declared a total loss. The claims adjuster would determine if the car should be repaired or totaled out.

You may also want to seek consumer help on this subject of items damaged by the record amount of snow fall in New Mexico by contacting the NM Division of Insurance, the insurance regulator for the state.