I ran my GE washing machine yesterday for the first time... when it got to the spin cycle, it made so much scarey noise I thought it might explode; I just ran 3 rooms away! As soon as spin was over, I ran in & shut it off. It had "walked" 3 feet from the wall. Then I noticed a yellow tag on bottom right of washer ~ the shipping rod had not been removed by the plumber that installed it! Have I completely damaged my washer and warranty? I'm afraid to start it again. Please help!

You may have done some damage but most likely not. The rod prevents the automatic balancing feature so the machine was very much out of balance. Start it with asmall amount of water and no clothes just to test it. Remove the rod first.