Good day all,

I have read and read, searched and searched...I have learned that 2 gen trannys fail on a regular basis. But is there a point when Acura solved the problem and replacement trannys will actually last? I have been driving Hondas for 20 years and after writing off my 01 Accord, I have fallen for 99 3.2 TL with a 'new transmission'. If I buy this car am I doomed?

Thanks for helping out the new guy...
Regards,
Mark

 

Welcome! Well, you have a 99 so therefore you have a 4spd auto, so you have nothing to worry about. Its the 5 speeds which are vulnerable to dying ever 30 - 50k.

 

The 1999 TL transmissions still have reliability issues but they're not as bad as the 5-speed transmissions.

See also this thread from last week:

https://acurazine.com/forums/car-parts-sale-361/cl-s-rims-tires-sale-preferably-nyc-area-174037/

 

Thanks guys...Bob, if your made to 170,000 miles that's good enough for me. So I assume that all 99's had the 4 speed?
I just talked to a local dealer, the guy at the service desk said that all replacement 5 speeds were upgraded and that once replaced they never fail...is he feeding me a load of crap?

 

Yes, all of the 1999s have the 4-speed.

Acura did apparently correct the major reliability problems with the 5-speed with changes made in February 2005. But, like any complex mechanical part, they can still fail. (There's been at least one failure reported for the upgraded/improved transmission on this forum.)

For hours of reading enjoyment, see the Tranny Failure Thread:

https://acurazine.com/forums/wash-wax-23/leather-conditioner-help-106818/

 

first off, all 2nd gen tls have this issue, i dont understand why these tards keep saying its not...i owned one, now own a 02 type s, and they both crapped..


but so far, got the new one that was updated, for a year and a half, and still shifts like butter....but only time will tell...ill get back to u after 50k

 

Does the "new" transmission come with any sort of warranty?

Another thing to keep in mind is that all of the 1999 TLs have hit the 7 year/7 month limit on the transmission's extended warranty. In fact, a number of 2000 TLs are hitting this limit.

There is also a limit of 109,000 miles, but the overall warranty coverage is a "whichever occurs first" type. So you could have a TL with less than 109,000 miles and an expired warranty.

 

i dont remember if my "new" tranny came with any type of warranty...i received this "updated tranny" at 65K and at 85K that hting crapped out...now it crapped out differently than they usually do...instead of staying in 2nd or 3rd gear i had no foward gears and just reverse...but they fixed it again and ive had no problems up to date...10K strong lol

 

I believe the transmissions come with a 12k mile, 12 month warranty, unless you have to pay something, in which case it's 12 months, 12k miles for every $1K you have to spend replacing it.

 

My question on a possible warranty for the the "new" transmission was actually directed to Mark, the OP. It may not be an Acura-installed transmission.

I should have quoted his original post for added clarity.

 

I'll have to look into that Bob...I have to say, this whole tranny thing whether is a 4 or 5 speed is starting to scare me away from a 3.2 , maybe I'll just buy another accord, but I really love the way the 3.2 looks and drives...eerrgghh!!

Regards,
Mark

 

Well you definitely want to be aware of the transmission reliability issues before buying. I went through the same thing before I bought my 1999 TL in 2006.

I also looked at used Accords and Camrys but I have no regrets. The TL has been a great car.

Good luck with whatever you buy.

 

I recall that the tranny problem only affects 5-speed Autos on all honda(accordv6/odyssey) and acura(TL-P/TL-S) models from ~99-03. I believe 99 was only 4-speed auto tho so I wouldn't expect problem there.

I have had 3 tranny failures already.... and I expect my 4th to occur not too long from now... again . First tranny, they just replaced with a refurbished/rebuilt one. Second they did same thing. Third time, they replaced and said they forgot to reprogram my ECU to "reduce power" last time, so this time they promised it wouldn't break anymore. I do not like the idea of the ECU thing, but so far it's lasted longer than before at the sacrifice of some power.

Positive side is I love my car and they extended my warranty another 100,000 miles as of the third failure and I get a new TL loaner to try out while they work on it.

Negative is I have to crawl back to dealership via my own power/ towing and i have to keep switching between cars wasting a lot of time.

 

Biggy- Do some reading in gen3- the trans prob was not fixed with gen2, it continues to haunt newer cars as well. There is simply not enough room inside the case to hold a big enough clutchpack. Its never going to be ~fixed~ They just rebuilt units with the latest parts and upgrades installed. Most work flawless, while a few take a dive. Its interesting that some people have mutilple failures in short time period- while others may never even know about the problem

The dealer will tow the car at their expense when trans fails- dont crawl- Call!

And it could be worse- other cars with same trans get zero help when failure occurs just past 50k miles- see audi and vw forums for examples

 

I totally agree it was never fixed. IMO, they just got me on a crutch to roll on which is why it is starting to break again. I'm just saying they "claimed" to fix it after 2nd gen. I haven't owned a 3rd gen yet so I can't verify what they say is true. I babied car first 2 trannies and they broke like nothing, so that's why I've driven aggressively ever since. I don't think my habits prevents the problem and I do agree my cousin hasn't had any tranny problems at all while I've had 3. Another friend only had 1 rebuilt tranny and he's been rolling fine. It's kinda like russian roulette.

My next Acura(or lexus :P) was going to be stick though because of preference and also I hate the auto tranny problem I've suffered with this car. Aside from that aspect, I really do love car to death.


Thanks for info on 3rd gen tho. I'll read up more on that before my next purchase.

As for towing, I did tow, but on the 3rd tranny break, I was conveniently within 1/4 of dealership and car was just shifting hard... no D5 or all lights on yet. I just hate the hastle but it should be over after i get another 2 years out of the car.