unionjack

Haven't been here in a really long time, but I thought I'd mention that my wife's 03 TL-S is currently on its 3rd tranny and going back in for number 4. Tranny number 3 lasted 2 days when it started acting up.

It has 28k miles on it.

Jerry944T

I'd like to be welcomed to the failed transmission club. It seems like there are a lot of us. I must admit I was a bit skeptical about the rash of bad transmissions but now I'm a believer.

The car is a 03 TL-S with 39,000 miles. It has always performed perfectly until yesterday when I was coming home from work in rush hour traffic. Out of no where the car started shifting with a thud and a wheel chirp. Then it started to rev like crazy while not moving much.

Luckily my route took me right by my dealer. Not one mile from the dealer the car went into total default mode with all kinds of blinking lights and no throttle response.

The service manager told me it was a "known problem" and would be repaired under warranty but would take at least a week. Like I didn't know that.

Luckily they are giving me one of their used cars since I had planned on leaving for a trip on Friday. This whole situation sucks. I've lost faith in Honda since I'm also on my third set of brake rotors and pads not to mention the 4th CD player. My next car, most likely, will not be an Acura even though these repairs haven't cost a cent. They are, however, terribly inconvenient.

Thanks for listening.

Jerry

unionjack

Followup: My wife just got a call back from her dealer. They've determined that the problem is a bad EGR valve. How the hell an EGR valve plays any role in her tranny problem is beyond me. She informed them that they've had a reasonable number of attempts to fix the problem and if it does it a single instance upon its return, that she'll be inquiring about a replacement as justified under the Lemon Law. They said that they understood her frustration then informed her that her 30k service is coming up. She laughed and told them that they should focus on fixing her car rather than emptying her wallet.

scottiew

That's great. I'll have to use that one -- hopefully I'll never have to see a stealer again.

todorable

Total crap! And I have tried to fight it, to no avail. I can't even find an attorney who will touch it! American Honda is just too big!C'est la vie, I guess.

I am on tranny #8 and I drive it like a grandma since this first one went out and I almost got broadsided. Luckily I was saved by some drivers who actually know how to drive defensively. What are the odds of that?!?!? (LOL) Anyhoo, I still love the car. Have an '02 TL-S with 70K on it. I will continue to let ACura kiss my ass with each 15K tranny replacement, then I am gonna go back to BMW at 100K. Good luck!

Darltk

I took my 01 Acura in to be maintenanced and the dealer kept it because they did not like the way the tranny shifted. They replaced the whole thing for free! I did not even know there was a problem.

JGsTL-S

thats what happen to me too..went in for alignment, left with a loaner and came out with my 3rd tranny. Now my car idles funny too it surges from 500 to 750 real quick. dunno if that is computer adjusting or what but its going back again.

jacko74

Hahaha, first tranny just went, 45000 km, approx 30k miles... On the phone, tech said "oh shoot, the tranny failed it seems, I'm sorry, it happens with any car manufacturer, you just happened to be unlucky.." Seems that he didnt read this post or land on this forum yet :P

They are replacing it, and I'm betting I can SS it more often now, and stay between the 2nd and 3rd gear. I wonder what they do when you have ran out 3-4 transmissions already ... do they just change your car altogether? I definately would not go back to Acura if they just kept on changing my transmission and keep giving me Toyota Corolla's for 2 weeks at a time while they replace the tranny ..........

NoSupport

I bought an 05 TL from them a month ago. I am satisfied with my tranny. I took mine in today to (lazy ass) have them put the plates on, and 'cause i've been noticing some brake squeek in reverse in the mornings. They said i should stop quickly on offramps to "clean up microscopic rust" on the rotors. I'd imagine rotors aren't made of rustable metal, since they ARE exposed to the elements. I don't really care though, it's so sound isolated i can't hear it with the windows up.

Has this tranny thing happened at all to any '05-ers, or 04s out there?

99 SSM TL

its been a long time since anyone has posted here. Or perhaps it just seems that way because this thread started so long ago. I just want the opportunity to physically hurt the Acura person responsible ( not the underling the scared guy in the suit sends out of the office to deal with potential violence - but the actual guy responsible). My question is ... Is this so wrong?

03CoupeV6

I think I felt my 02 TL-P's tranny slipping some today, and it shook a little. I'm sure it's only just a matter of time. 41k miles.

todorable

no, they don't replace the car....I am an my 10th tranny...(2002 TL-S 70Kmi) At this point I am happy to cause them a bit of grief every 3500 miles! I am noticing the preoblem seems to be worse in the type-S models. More repeat tranny failures than in the reggies! Any comments on that silly observation?

moat

I thought I had the record with 5 trans in 10 months... Also a TL-S. It seems there is a fix, though.... an 05 with a 6-speed!!!

vectorczar

2000 TL- bought used from a Honda Dealer at 67,000mi. Had tranny replaced at 68,000.

Car now has 92,200 miles. Cruising to a club Friday night- noticed some shift-slippage in city driving. Got on the expressway, going from 4th to 5th and DAMN! Engine redlines as tranny slips big-time. Shortly after, TCS and CEL come on, followed shortly after by the flashing D5.

Here we go again. Got an appointment for Monday afternoon. At least the thing is covered by the warranty extension.

I love this car, but now that I'm approaching 100k miles, it's got me worried.

Czar

scottiew

I hear ya. I'm at a point to where I'm like. Should I pay my car off (37k mi) or just buy a '97-99 Lexus SC300.

I love the car but wtf with the transmission.

todorable

Check the info on the Lexus before you buy! They have had tranny problems on some models as well, not sure which ones or years...look into it. It would suck to trade on problem for another. In my opinion...BMW baby. (Still kicking myself in the bum for trading in my BEAUTIFUL Bimmer for this POS acura!)

fsttyms1

id check on the BMW also. they have horrible electrical issues amongst other things. a coworker has stuck 4k in minor issues on his 2000 bmw in the last year (not including a tranny himself the year before). the thing is a POS.

scottiew

Yeah I've heard maintanance cost on BMW are very high. I haven't heard too many bad things about Lexus/Toyota.

I never heard bad things about Honda/Acura until this forum and my tranny has gone out once I suppose it's a matter of time before it goes out again. Not sure if I want to deal with frequent tranny replacements. I mean replacement is free however extremely inconvenient if your stuck in BFE.

2_tl_owner

With 118,000 miles on my '99, I thought I was safe from the tranny problems, but nooooooo.

I noticed my tranny slipping last week, so I took it in today, and they said that I would need a new tranny. I asked them about a warranty beyond the 100,000 mile extended warranty, and they said I would have to call the main office in California, so that's what I did.

I have owned four Honda's and am on my second and third Acuras (99 TL & 02 MDX) over the last 17 years, so I pleaded the loyalty case. They said I should hear something tomorrow or Wednesday.

Should I expect good news? Heaven help the dealership if I don't.

PandaBear

What about the option of getting back to 4 spd tranny from 99? It is more reliable right? At least you get reliability.

SK2003TypeS

Nice SQL signature scottview. LOL

fsttyms1

they covered mine at 115k for free so its possible

on a 2000+ No chance. and why? the 5 speed is better

fsttyms1

on a 2000+ No chance. and why? the 5 speed is better

scottiew

Thanks

vinniemak

Transmission shudder...please help....


I have a 2000TL...been absolutely super so far. I had bought it new in Jan 2000 and now have 87K miles. I had the Jetkit installed when the car had 72K miles.

The tranny has been perfect so far. I noticed a couple of days ago when the car was doing something like 35 mph or so, that it "shuddered" and then shifted. I thought nothing of it, then it did the same again, today. It seems like if I am doing sy 30mph and jump on the gas and go to 40mph, there seems to be no shudder.

There are no problems with the lights going on or anything. Let me know if any of you felt this. The car has been absolutely trouble free just like every Honda/Acura product I have ever purchased.

Thanks in advance for your response.

vectorczar

My friend, my opinion is that you're about to need a new transmission. I bought my 00 TL used w/67k on it. Replaced tranny at 68k. It's in the shop again at 92k for a new one (completely shot- no forward or reverse while trying to limp-in to dealer).

I noticed the stutter (shudder) shortly before I had my first replacement. Keep a sharp eye on it and re-read the previous posts to give you an idea of what to look for.

YMMV

Czar

vinniemak

Hi, Czar...thanks man. I drove to work this morning keepin' an eye on this. It was okay this morning, but I don't like hangin' around the 35mph range. It does shift very smoothly through the entire range. Also, my tires are kinda balding in the front, wondering if that causes a stutter...or hesitation...but probably not.

I gotta tell you, so far this has been a dream car with NO issues at all. It still smells great inside looks beautiful outside and runs like a top...but that probably is about to change !!

fsttyms1

the real giveaway (it was subtle at first but progressed as it got worse)of the tranny dying is a slipping clutch type action between the 2-3 shift. that was the symptom i had on all 3 failures before they died

vinniemak

fsttyms...how much time do you think I have before the final failure?? I need to go on a road trip w/ 500 miles roundtrip and I was wondering.

Right now, other than the two stutters (or studders), I have not noticed anything drastic. The car still drives nice and smooth and shifts beautifully - no hesitation or hard shifts or anything like that. There have been no signs of the D5 light blinking or any such thing.

Seems like you have had first hand experience and would love to hear from you.

03CoupeV6

No one can tell you how long it might be. It may never go, the stuff you described sounds like what my 99 Accord did for a year, from 67k miles to 95k when I got rid of it - and it never failed.

If you've went 87k on your first, you might just have one that won't die. I wouldn't worry about driving it anywhere.

vinniemak

03CoupeV6...thanks for the encouragement. I am going to replace the front two tires shortly...I should be able to get by for a couple of months...but the studder that I felt caught my attention (both times). It almost felt like the tranny was "feeling" to catch gears and when it did, it was okay. I believe I was going uphill once and that was when I felt it more than the second time which was on level plane.

I will keep an eye on it. I want to keep the TL00 for another 4 ~ 5 years as the car inside / out is still in great shape and I don't want to suffer through the depreciation + it has virtually all the toys the new Hondas / Acuras have.

fsttyms1

i agree with 03CoupeV6. no one can tell. it may have just been an anomily that you noticed and it may not be any thing wrong with it? there really is no way to tell. when i started to notice the slipping clutch type actions between the 2-3 shifts all three trannies made it about 1000-1500 miles

vinniemak

The "symptoms" as described by fsttyms seem to be what I might have felt. I am mentally trying to "deny" it and am hoping it is similar to 03CoupeV6's experience w/ the Accord...but who knows...I am very skeptical at driving at 35mph...I want to be either 30 or 40 if possible...

Sucks to worry about one more thing in life !!! but so be it...

scottiew

I hear ya... To pay off next month or buy a used car cash...

fsttyms1

mine never did it at a particular speed, it was while accelerating (durring the 2-3 shift)

vinniemak

Oh..well...fsttyms....I don't feel so bad then...mine seems to have occured right around 35mph mark..both times...it wasn't a loud thump or anything...a distinct stutter (or shudder)...but I will keep a close eye on my transmission and this thread. Thanks for your input.

03CoupeV6

My 99 Accord and 02 TL do this at the same speed. It's almost like the transmission had a human-like "brain fart".

Like "WTF gear should I be in? Oh yeah, this one."

The TL's done it a couple of times in four months, the Accord would do it a couple of times a month, and each time I'd think "Oh shit, the transmission is going to die" and every time it would be fine after having that little moment. It also seemed to be right around 35-40mph, and would do it regardless of it being on an incline or flat road.

I learned not to worry about it as it obviously wasn't harmful. At all other times the transmission performed flawlessly, so I accepted it. It was NOT slippage. Slippage is when you can feel/hear/see the RPMs climbing but the car is shaking and or not responding to the increasing RPMs.

It sounds to me like you have a good transmission. The people on this board are a small percentage of Acura owners, and the problem isn't as widespread as it may seem by reading these posts. Perhaps you're one of the lucky ones, I certainly hope so. My 2002 TL does this, as well, I forgot to mention. It's been okay, I have 41k on the original transmission and I hope to never have problems.

vinniemak

03Coupe...you da man....thanks for all your input. From the sounds of it, that's not too bad. I have "NO PROBLEMS" living with the stutter if that is all it is. I think you best described where the gear should be in.

Just to reiterate, my car has been to the Acura dealer for NOTHING excepting an Oil Jet kit install under warranty. I have basically replaced all the fluids myself (including tranny fluid several times), brake pads etc...and this car so far has been the best one I have ever owned. Keepin' fingers crossed I hope I can go 4 ~ 5 years....

ftafel

This thread is way too long to read every post, but I scanned several pages and didn't see one mention of the recall notice that I received from my dealer earlier this year. My wife took our '02 TL in and had the service done, and my understanding is that they dropped the tranny and literally replaced 3rd gear, charging me nothing even though I bought the car "as is." Are these related issues? Seems odd that a forum full of enthusiasts wouldn't be getting the factory/dealer support they paid for.

fsttyms1

they DID NOT drop your tranny and replace 3rd gear. the dealer doesnt do that kind of work. the Recall notice is to put a oil jet kit in the tranny (which they dont have to remove the tranny from the car, its a 30 min install) and the oil jet is to lubricate the 2nd gear shaft, and has nothing to do with the 3rd gear clutch pack which is the cause of all our failures.